Mirage: Countdown to Eternity
by CapitaineCartoon
Summary: The sequel to Mirage: Escape from Nomanisan. Chapter 9 is up! Full Circle. Mirage has traveled back to the past to her childhood home. As she meets someone unexpected, she will have to make a difficult decision...
1. The Cat and the Mouse

**MIRAGE: COUNTDOWN TO ETERNITY by CapitaineCartoon**

You will find author's comments and answers to reviews in the last chapter.

**SUMMARY:** The sequel to **Mirage: Escape from Nomanisan**.

**RATING:** For older readers. This story is rated T (the old PG-13) for some dark realistic violence, mature subject, mild language and sexuality.

**DISCLAIMER:** Pixar and Disney own Mirage and the Incredibles (sigh)... This is fan fiction to share on the World Wide Web for the purpose of expressing non-profit creativity. Please don't sue me.

**CHAPTER ONE: THE CAT AND THE MOUSE**

**_The rays_** of the setting sun shimmered on Lake Leman, on the gentle waves made by the wind. Soon, the sun would disappear behind the snow covered mountains of the Swiss Alps that encircled the lake. The autumn air, warm during the day, but chilly at night, enticed tourist to move from café terraces to the inside, where plush cushions, a glass of red wine and a roaring fire in the hearth, would be the perfect ending to a perfect day, here, in the charming city of Geneva.

The city never slept. As night came along, one could hear music coming from the distance, emanating from local clubs which were beginning slowly to fill up with the younger crowd. For some of the partiers, the day had only begun as they would dance and drink through the night, only to go home exhausted, falling asleep in wee hours of the morning, having rushed home to avoid the light of dawn as they were similar to vampires, unaccustomed to broad daylight.

Sitting behind the wheel of his sleek black _Mercedes Kompressor_, the man checked his watch. His contact would not be here for another hour. It did not bother him, as he had the intention of having a few drinks before they would meet. Doing so would also look less suspicious, and in the _Business_, discretion could be your most valuable ally.

He took one last look at himself in the rear view mirror, grabbed the aluminium suitcase from the passenger seat and got out.

He quickly glanced at his alligator shoes to make sure they were properly shiny. Wearing obviously expensive attire was always the norm with him, being very well aware of the effect that fine clothes could have on impressionable minds. You could never change a first impression, and he could not have suffered to make a bad one.

He knew he liked having an advantage over the particular kind of person that was more attracted to money than good looks or youth. He didn't care in attracting the attentions of this type of company, for he had accepted a long time ago that he was neither young nor good looking anymore, just a businessman on a business trip, with alligator shoes and a large platinum watch and with money to buy friends and female company.

He had chosen the location well. He knew he wouldn't be alone for very long.

As he opened the door of the club, a surge of sound and psychedelic lights engulfed him. Incense heavily scented the air that machines coloured by spewing purple smoke and soap bubbles. Everywhere, reflections from spotlights bouncing on mirrored balls and chrome fixtures filled the air with streaks of lights that pierced through the smoke and haze. In dark corners, in comfortable booths covered with thick red fabric, patrons chatted excitingly over drinks and cigarettes, psyched-up by the atmosphere that the Retro-Sixties Night recreated so well.

_Music from the Summer of Love_, the man thought. Once the transaction had been completed, he could stay for a while, as he felt sure he would get lucky.

People packed the place as Retro-Night was obviously very popular. Couples danced wildly on the multicoloured dance floor, totally entranced by the music pumped through large speakers that surrounded them. Perched atop every sound box, energetic Go-Go dancers dressed in hip sixties fashion, did their thing, setting the groove with their sensuous moves as they dominated the dance floor.

As the man slowly crossed the dance floor to reach a less crowded area, he noticed he had caught the eye of someone. A Go-Go dancer, a pretty young woman perched upon her speaker, smiled at him with a mile wide grin, locking her eyes on him, as she kept swaying sensuously in time with the music.

_Business first_, he said to himself proudly, pleased to have got some attention that quickly.

He reached a quieter area in the back of the club, finding an empty booth to sit in. Slowly sipping the dry martini he had ordered, the man glanced around him.

For a brief moment, he had lost himself in his thoughts: He reflected on who he was, and for the first time in a long while, felt able to examine the purpose behind his actions, behind what he was about to do.

He kept looking at the crowd of dancers huddled on the dance floor, bathed in the multi-coloured lights that changed continuously, making the people look like chameleons. He had absolutely nothing in common with them: Most of them were young, carefree, and innocent.

And he was not.

Their innocence did not matter to him, but to the people he did business with, he knew that on the contrary, youth and innocence would be most desired, as the effect _Random Targeting_ had would be much more dramatic, if it involved young people.

The man became self-conscious again, as the chain of his thoughts and its images of atrocities jolted him back to reality. They had their reasons, he said to himself, and he also had his: The wealth he had gathered and its relative security was a strong enough incentive to make him close his eyes and not feel anything regarding his participation in the destruction and carnage that would eventually happen.

No, he had his reasons, and he had made his peace a long time ago.

"Hey stranger, buy me a drink?" an eager young voice suddenly had asked him. The man was abruptly taken out of his reverie.

In front of his booth stood a young woman. He glanced at her.

_Well, well, what a babe she is_, he thought.

The young woman in front of him was beautiful: Tall and thin, slightly lanky in her posture, she was dressed appropriately for the evening as she wore the pre-requisite tie dyed t-shirt, covered by loose and long necklaces that had tangled together. She also had a myriad of silver bracelets around her delicate wrists, and a form fitting mini-skirt that wrapped her thighs, revealing her mile-long legs.

She had the widest and intense green eyes he had ever seen, which looked at him eagerly from above small purple sunglasses.

The man's glance focused on her hair as it seemed unusual: it appeared to be snow white.

_It's not a wig and it isn't dyed. And she's not an albino obviously… Must be some sort of genetic freak, I guess_… He stopped questioning himself, smiled vainly and moved over a bit to invite her to sit down with a wave of his hand.

It was then he realized she was that Go-Go girl that had smiled at him when he had entered the club.

_Well_, he thought, she obviously had found him_ tasty_…

It would be a good evening after all, as business would obviously mix with pleasure.

They spoke of nothing in particular for the next half hour. He learned she was a Russian student that had come here to study art history, and she had said to him, in broken, hesitant English, sensually rolling her words as she spoke, that she felt a bit isolated and that the uncanny resemblance to her uncle Vladimir had made her bold enough to come his way.

The man was not naïve and had learned to be careful in any situation. But this time, he felt comfortable with her even though he could not have clearly said why.

She reached out to him from time to time, her hand gently touching his wrist. Her fingers felt warm, almost like a tingling sensation. The man felt more and more at ease as time passed, the primary reason for him being at the club slowly fading to the back of his mind.

She was little odd, he found, as she gestured a lot, and seemed all over the place in her conversation. Her gaze shifted continuously and appeared unfocused, and she swayed back and forth a bit, making the man think she could be high on drugs. That didn't matter to him; in fact, it was something he could potentially use to his advantage as she would then be easier to manage. He wouldn't mind the release that cheap, quick sex could offer.

They were silent for a minute. She stared at him and touched his wrist again. Somehow, at that moment, her intentions became clear.

Without a word, they both got up at the same time. With a gesture, the woman signalled him to follow her. He grabbed the handle of his suitcase, calculating he still had about twenty minutes. They walked though the crowd, as he followed her to the back of the club. They reached a service door and closed it quickly behind them.

In the dimly lit corridor, they stood beside each other. The woman slowly leaned back against the wall, and the look she had on her face excited him.

The man had learned from experience to be very cautious of such things. After all, most things are never free, but even though he knew logic should dictate caution, he unexplainably felt he could throw it to the wind this time. Besides, if she tried anything funny, she would taste lead, courtesy of his Uzi sub-machine gun he always carried, hidden under his jacket, as he always came prepared.

They walked to an unattended storage room at the end of the corridor. Coming in, they locked the door from the inside. The dimly lit room, filled with glass jars, tin cans and wooden crates, smelled musty form the accumulated dust and mould. The only light source came from a dangling light bulb they had turned on by pulling on a chain, and from a streetlight visible through a small window that had been left open. The music could still be heard, the pumping bass muffled as it came through the walls.

The woman sat down on a wooden crate in front of him, barely visible as she was in the shadow. She eyed him up and down.

"What do you have in your suitcase?" she softly asked, pointing at it.

"None of your business," the man answered, smiling.

"But, please," she pleaded, a dazed look in her eyes, "I'd love to know…" As she said that, she reached out and touched him again. Once more, the man felt he acted against logic.

"Maybe we can negotiate something," he said, with a crooked smile.

"I'm sure we can," the woman said, in a deep voice.

The man suddenly realized something had changed about her. The Russian accent had gone. The unfocused, drugged gaze in her eyes had also disappeared; her face now had an expression of clear-headed determination.

His blood froze, as his instincts kicked in. Without thinking, he whipped out his Uzi, pointed it in her direction and pulled the trigger.

He later could never explain what he had seen next...

The compact size of his sub-machine gun was misleading as it packed more power than one could expect. From that distance, a person would normally have had been cut in half. By the fact that the crate the woman sat on was now shattered in pieces, he knew he had aimed well and surely had reached his intended target.

But he couldn't understand what had just happened: As he had unloaded the hail of bullets, he saw a silvery halo envelop the woman sitting in front of him.

The man was shocked to see that the woman had disappeared for a fraction of a second, only to reappear, but with an identical twin by her side.

Both women now stood up with an air of defiance, two meters away from him. Without hesitation, they rushed towards the man.

Confused, and in a state of panic, he aimed his Uzi back and forth, not knowing on what person to shoot first on. He chose the one on his left. Pulling the trigger, he unleashed another barrage of bullets that made an ear shattering sound.

As he did that, the woman he had fired on suddenly vanished, to reappear farther away. He had seen the bullets going through her before she vanished, having no effect, just piercing holes in the tin cans and shattering the glass jars stored on the shelves behind where she had stood, their contents spilling on the floor.

The other twin, meanwhile, had managed to get closer to him. She quickly reached forward, and with an extended finger, sharply poked the top of his weapon holding hand. He felt a small prick as she touched him.

Instantaneously, his body went numb. His weapon fell from his loosening hand as he collapsed, his legs suddenly giving from under him, as he crashed down on the wooden crates behind him.

He could not move anymore, totally paralysed by a poison dart he thought he had seen from the corner of his eye.

He stared, wide eyed and helpless as he saw the two women in front of him disappear in a flash of light, only to see them reappear as one, enveloped by a silvery halo.

As the aura faded around her, the woman calmly walked towards him to kneel down besides his limp body.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but, I'm not that kind of a girl," she said quietly.

The woman had removed what seemed like a metallic dart from the tip of one of her fingers. The man had not noticed it earlier in the bar.

She took out a small object from her purse, and pointed it at the suitcase. It immediately started beeping loudly.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" the woman said. She nodded. "Well, hello, _Nasty_…"

She turned her head as loud banging on the door startled her. It seems the gun shots had created some major commotion in the club and the police had already arrived on the premises.

The woman got up and looked around her, stopping on the open window.

"It was nice meeting you, but sorry, you're really not my type," she said. She put the suitcase besides the still paralysed man. "But don't feel bad, I think the police will be very interested in spending the night with you in my place."

She walked towards the window. "You'll have to forgive me, but I have to go now…"

As she said that, a silvery halo enveloped her for a second, and she vanished.

The man, wide eyed, lay motionless on the floor, his back leaning against a broken crate with the suitcase at his side and the Uzi in a corner, amongst its empty shells.

The woman had rematerialized in the back alley behind the club, below the open window. Without hesitation, as if nothing had happened, she walked away at a brisk pace, to blend in the evening crowd. Police sirens where now heard everywhere, as patrol cars where rushing to the scene.

After walking a few blocks, she reached a silver grey BMW Z4, jumped in, quickly turned on the ignition and drove away into the night.


	2. The Bait

**CHAPTER TWO: THE BAIT**

**_The forest_** surrounding the Manor slowly awakened. Birds chirped again as the light of dawn filtered through the tall trees, chasing away the nocturnal wildlife once again.

The morning mist, covering meticulously mowed grass patches that outlined beds of delicate multicolored roses and tulips, had now faded. The gardens where the flowers grew had been recently restored, and they now displayed their original eighteenth century beauty. The blossoms, now opening again, filled the air around the _Manoir des Hirondelles_ with a rich, sweet fragrance.

The title Manor, given to the estate, was misleading as the size of the construction was closer to a castle than a large villa, with sixty-seven rooms a humble number in comparison to the vastness of the Louvre, but still impressive. Centuries earlier, French royalty had enjoyed coming here in the summer, too happy to get away from the turmoil of Paris, as the growing resentment towards the aristocracy there would become the event historians called the French Revolution.

But the turbulence of that period had long faded by now. All that remained here were the quiet stone walls and the peace and serenity of an autumn morning, in a beautiful corner of the rural south of France.

All was still inside the mansion. In the great hall, no sound resonated on the white marble staircase of the entrance. Sunlight, coming in through the large windows, bounced up on the polished tiles to be reflected by the magnificently ornate ceiling, covered in a rich fresco of intricate design with hand carved plaster cornices that had been painstakingly painted and adorned here and there with pure gold leaf.

The castle had undergone an intense restoration process that was nearing completion. Dozens of skilled workers had spent two years bringing back the former splendor of the old walls, and as they were done with the first floor, had now spread scaffolds, tools, ladders and drop cloths everywhere on the remaining level, transforming the main upper corridor into a difficult obstacle course.

François quietly walked up the stairs carrying a silver breakfast tray, the day's newspaper neatly folded besides a large pot of coffee, a glass of orange juice and a basket of fresh _croissant__s_ covered by a napkin. Walking swiftly around the scaffolds, he reached the large door at the end of the long corridor that stretched back to the front of the Manor, opening on the immense staircase.

In a subtle balancing act that had took decades to perfect, the aging man managed to knock gently on the bedroom door while still holding the tray.

"Come in," a sleepy voice answered.

"Good morning, Mademoiselle", the butler said as he entered the room. "Have you slept well?"

Mirage yawned as she stretched, sitting up in the enormous four-post bed that faced the window of the huge bedroom.

"No, not really… It would be more a question of if I've had any sleep at all," she said, smiling as she rubbed her eyes through her dishevelled hair.

The butler set the tray in front of her on the bed. He smiled at her briefly.

"Judging from the headlines of this morning's paper, I believe Mademoiselle Mirage has been moonlighting again."

Mirage smiled at him. "Hum… something like that, yes."

"Mademoiselle has performed very well, as usual," the butler said, as he handed her the paper.

"Thank you", she said. "I had been trailing him for six months now." She frowned. "He almost got me."

"I am glad to see you safe and sound, Mademoiselle," the butler added. "Your operation was a success: The police also captured his accomplices. It seems the criminal was very eager to talk. The police reported him to be totally terrified, but they couldn't explain why… They said his testimony made no sense; He kept referring to a woman who had split in two, and had vanished right before his eyes."

"Have you read how much material was actually involved?" she asked him.

"It appears the man had the intention of selling more than a kilogram of highly radioactive weapons-grade plutonium... Although not enough for a nuclear warhead though, it would surely had been used to make a _dirty bomb_ of considerable magnitude, probably big enough to poison an area the size of the city of London... The transaction would have been worth to him about twenty million euros."

The butler nodded: "It was most brilliant coup, Mademoiselle, if I may be so bold..."

Mirage took a croissant, dipping it in her bowl of coffee. "Thank you, François."

The butler's face became grave. "Mademoiselle Mirage, I do not want to sound too fatherly, for I know I'm not you father, but..." He hesitated. "I am as close as what you could consider a family member, so please, let me give you this bit of advice:" The old butler stood straight. "The kind of work you are into is much too dangerous for you to tackle by yourself."

Mirage looked up, wanting to say something.

"Please, _Miss_, let me. I am just expressing my point of view. In as much as you are a very gifted Super, I'm still very worried something bad will happen to you." The butler smiled at her again. "So, Mademoiselle, I would feel greatly reassured if you told me you had the intention of reconsidering your work methods."

The butler poured her more coffee, and as he did, he leaned over to her. "I think it's time for Mademoiselle Mirage to find herself a partner," he said, quietly. He paused. "A _serious_ partner... It would be most beneficial for Mademoiselle."

Mirage didn't seem to agree. "I work alone François... I always work alone, you know that."

Mirage laughed, suddenly feeling embarrassed. "A sidekick... You want me to find a _sidekick_?"

"Not quite _Miss_," François said, rather enigmatically. "That is not what I meant..."

They stared at each other for a second. He broke the silence: "On a more mundane level, may I remind you that Mademoiselle Amélie is requesting your presence today at twelve at the Tivoli Café? It is if I am right, to celebrate Mademoiselle Mirage's twenty-third birthday."

Mirage rolled her eyes. _Oh, God. Amélie Duchesne_...

Amélie Duchesne was as close as a friend Mirage could have. An overly talkative, French Canadian, mergers and acquisitions lawyer comfortably established in the nearby Principality of Monaco, she was one of the very few, for reasons even Mirage didn't understand, that had managed to get inside Mirage's very small and private social bubble.

The feisty _Québécoise_ was also an unrepentant socialite, even portrayed in some circles as what one could call a _man-eater_, with the appetite of a Great White shark. She took obvious pride boasting about her conquests, but enjoyed even more playing match-maker between whom she considered deserved her attentions...

Mirage's previous boyfriend, proudly presented by Amélie, had been a record of longevity... The two weeks they had been together had been blissful to a point, but Mirage had seemed too secretive about herself and the _Prospect_ had finally walked out, infuriated and confused like the others, as he could not get a clear explanation on why Mirage suddenly had to rush away to urgent appointments that could not be rescheduled, dropping him like a sack of potatoes.

Mirage sighed. She would definitely have to go and meet her, even if the temptation of staying at the Manor to supervise the restoration work was overwhelming.

She jumped out of bed. The old butler didn't flinch as she walked past him, wearing only a large T-shirt and cotton underwear.

"It's a two hour drive to Monaco, might as well leave now and do some errands," she said as she looked for the day's clothes: a comfortable pair of jeans, sneakers and a loose, fine wool sweater.

"I'll be gone for the day. So, François, I leave you the Manor. The workers should be arriving in about an hour. We will have to look at the leakage in the south wing's roof some other time."

The butler lifted a finger. "May I remind Mademoiselle that it is time for my annual vacation? I shall be leaving today for Toulouse, to visit my brother."

Mirage turned around. "Oh yes, I forgot. I'm so sorry... Thank you so much for everything then. I'll be home at the end of the afternoon. Just please lock up after the workers are gone and have a great vacation."

"I will, Mademoiselle. Drive safely."

"Thank you François", she said, taking a towel as she headed for the bathroom.

As Mirage drove her Z4, the grey sport car gracefully negotiating the tight curves of the small country road that would lead her to Monaco, she couldn't help thinking of what the butler had said before leaving.

_A partner? _ Mirage let the words resonate in her mind. _I don't have time for a partner. No, I don't…_

Mirage suddenly frowned. "A boyfriend?" She was talking to herself loudly now. "No way, forget it. I'll take a rain check on that."

She thought about Amélie. _How does she do it? Hum, maybe she's a Super... _That made her smile.

Monaco is one of the most beautiful cities to be perched on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea. The tiny independent principality, ruled by a centuries old monarchic government, relies on its international prestige to attract the richest personalities in the world to fill its coffers, by offering in exchange to be a tax-free haven. It is truly a paradise for the very wealthy.

The main boulevard by the docks, where luxury ships of all nationalities and sizes were moored, -a most valued location as it welcomed once a year the international formula one grand prix- was bustling with activity on this beautiful autumn day, affluent tourists and citizens filling the exclusives boutiques and posh sidewalk cafes. Mirage was comfortable there, and used to its upper-crust crowd, not by choice but more out of necessity, as she had learned a long time ago a lot of them were powerful decisions makers regarding important issues, and because of that, she had learned how to blend in, as it seemed the only way to get certain things done.

Mirage, in truth, had always been indifferent to all this superficial glamour and luxury. She tolerated the snobbery, but it would always be the simpler things in life that really mattered to her. The castle she resided in had more the status of a large project than being a symbol of wealth and power. No, Mirage never would have needed to prove herself with wealth. When the renovations would be completed, she would move on to find another house in dire need of renovation, something much smaller this time, surrounded by a forest, with just a few rooms and a tiny garden of roses, as they were her favourite flowers. And that house, she would call home.

Mirage sat on the front terrace of the café, sipping a non-fat latte as she waited for her friend to arrive. She had been waiting for a few minutes now, and killed time by discreetly looking at the passers-by through her Ray-ban sunglasses. The terrace was filled. People sat everywhere enjoying their drinks while bathing in the sunshine. A young couple, a few tables away from Mirage, had their eyes locked on each other as the spoke, smiling tenderly, obviously bewitched by one another. Mirage absentmindedly looked at them. When they started kissing passionately, she turned her head away. She then heard a familiar voice in the distance behind her.

"Mirage! Oh Mirage! Yoo-hoo! Mirage, oh, _Muh_-raaage!"

"Oh, _God_." Mirage said, as she waved, shyly.

Amélie Duchesne zigzagged expertly through the small tables, her hands full with a plethora of bags as she had been power–shopping that morning.

They faked-kissed and she quickly sat down, lifting her finger for the waiter who was already rushing her way.

"Oh, Sweetie, happy birthday, I'm so glad to see you… You're twenty-three, am I right?" Amélie asked her, slightly out of breath.

Mirage nodded, "Yes, but, my actual birthday is September twenty-seven…"

"Close enough," Amélie said. "Here," Amélie handed Mirage a large shopping bag from a very exclusive boutique. "Happy birthday, Cutie!"

"So," Amélie asked, leaning her elbows on the table, staring into Mirage's eyes. "How was Robert?"

Mirage felt embarrassed. "Do you really want to know?"

Amélie cut her off. "_Câlisse_... You are a difficult client, you know that?"

The lawyer straightened up and eyed Mirage up and down. "Oh, Angel," she said. "You look terrible. What have you been doing? Well, let me help you a bit." She pointed to the bag. "I bought you something colourful to wear, you know, to make a change from your usual choices of green, black, grey and blue... All these cold colors, no wonder they sometimes refer to you as the _Ice Queen_."

Before Mirage could answer, Amélie had already cut her off again.

"Precious, trust me on this one, the diagnostic is clear…" Amélie leaned forward with worried eyes.

"You need a good man, Sugar, big time... And I mean, big, big time. Someone to rotate your tires, you know what I mean?"

Mirage tried to reply, but words failed her as she stared, bewildered, at Amélie.

The lawyer was obviously on a roll. "Ok, before I try to find you another match again, let's review our fact sheet, shall we? Name?"

Mirage rolled her eyes, but played along: "Mirage Moresso."

"Status?" Amélie kept drilling her.

"Single, if it's what you mean."

"You were born in September, so that makes you a Libra." Amélie disapproved. "Difficult sign... Education?"

"I have a Master's degree in Computer Science, and I am now studying Art History, with a specialization in Restoration of Eighteenth Century Architecture."

"Hum…" Amélie said, as she seemed to be getting close to something. "How many languages do you speak, Mirage?"

"Five... And you know that, by the way!"

"And, aren't you a full fledged member of Greenpeace International?"

Mirage sighed. "Yes…"

Amélie smiled as she crossed her hands on the table. The lawyer had rest her case. "That's what I thought: You have way too much time on your hands, Darling."

Mirage looked at her, unable to speak.

"Mirage, Puppy, you are very difficult: how could you have said no to Michel Ligier? You must be insane; he's built like a god. He's just so hot! It doesn't make any sense. Unless…"

Amélie Paused: "Unless, of course! Oh, Cookie! Why didn't you tell me men weren't your thing?"

Mirage was slowly turning red. "_What are you talking about?_"

"Oh, Queenie, it's my fault. I should have known, since you showed no interest in Michel... Well, I'm so proud of you! Coming out is not easy!"

Amélie was unstoppable, as she waved her hand. "Say no more, say no more. I know exactly what to do: Next Friday, you and I are going out, and I'm bringing Lilianne St-Clair... You know she came out a long time ago... I shouldn't be telling you this, but I will: She once told me that she wouldn't mind talking you for a ride, if you were ever interested…"

Amélie beamed with joy: "You'd be a great couple!"

Mirage finally found the energy to cut her off. "Damn it, Amélie, I'm… I'm not, no. It's just that... _Oh Mon Dieu, Amélie. Ce que tu peux être conne des fois..._"

Mirage had difficulty articulating: "I just don't want to be in a relationship right now, that's all... I don't _need_ to be in a relationship."

Mirage seemed to have found the right words, as Amélie had stopped ranting.

"Well anyhow, Sister," Amélie said as she simmered down, reaching out to Mirage's hand, "I couldn't care less on what side of the fence you are on... You are my friend and that is that."

"Thank you," Mirage said, obviously relieved that the conversation would take another direction.

Mirage had finally steered Amélie's attention away from her love life by asking for the latest Monaco gossip, which the lawyer was most pleased to share.

The Québécoise was just about to describe the lack of prowess of her previous conquest, when she was suddenly interrupted. An old woman had come to their table. She was dressed in ragged clothes, obviously the only ones she owned. She was small and fragile, trembling slightly on her two feet as her body was bent forward, worn down by the years.

"Your palm read for a euro, Young ones?" she asked them in a weak voice.

Amélie jumped on the occasion. "Please," she said, as she gave the woman a bill. "I'll give you ten euros to read her palm. It's her birthday you know…"

The woman smiled as Mirage held out her hand reluctantly.

The old woman took it gently, slowly running her index finger against the lines in Mirage's palm. She stared up, to meet Mirage's curious look.

"You are very different, Young One." The woman spoke softly and slowly, as she touched Mirage's hand, looking at the lines which mysteriously seemed to speak to her. "You have a gift. A lot of people are desperate to possess it, but you, do not. It seems a curse to you, not the blessing it truly is."

Mirage now worried that the old woman could reveal to Amélie that she was a Super.

The old lady went on. "You suffer as you can't escape who you are."

The woman kept looking at Mirage's hand. "Fear not, Young One, you will find a way to achieve the peace you want, but there will be a price. You will travel, very soon, to exotic, distant lands. But you will have to be very careful, for the path of your journey will cross many dangers."

The woman, sensing Mirage's growing concern, reassured her: "I say again, fear not, Young One. You will not be alone… I see someone. I see a man." Amélie's eyes were wide open now. "He comes from a distant land. You both are very similar. He suffers, very much like you… He will be a most valuable ally, in times of darkness."

The old woman paused, eyeing Mirage. "Perhaps more even," she added softly, as she ran her index finger up and down a particular line in Mirage's hand, "perhaps, much more than an ally."

Amélie squealed joyfully as she heard the fortune teller. "Ooh! This is good, Mirage, oh yeah! Bring it on, Woohoo!" She waved her hands in Mirage's face while making eerie sounds.

The old woman glanced at Amélie and frowned as she went on. "Beware, for you have dangerous enemies. They are hidden and they are waiting to strike. Some will be obvious, but some will be harder to fight as they will present themselves as friends, as they will try to fool you. Trust your instincts. They will serve you well."

Mirage had heard enough, so she gently took her hand away, obviously a little bit annoyed with the whole thing and not knowing on how seriously to take that information.

"Thank you very much," she said to the woman, who politely bowed and walked away to another table. It took a while for Mirage and Amélie to resume their conversation as they were still quite astonished by what they had just heard.

They had not noticed a few tables away, a man with dark sunglasses alone at a table. He sat completely immobile; his shoulders were rigid, his back straight and tense. If Mirage had seen him, she might have paid more attention to his presence.

He discreetly looked in their direction from time to time, slowly turning his head, his gaze concealed. No one at the terrace had seemed to notice that he looked a little odd, being bald and rather tall, dressed in a fitted cream coloured suit and matching hat. The fact he didn't seem to enjoy himself, as the stern look on his face suggested, would have made him suspicious to a trained eye but he had seemed successful in not attracting any glances.

It also escaped everyone's attention that on the opposite side of the terrace, sat another identically dressed man. If the two men had been closer together, it would have been obvious they were twins: Both bald and thin, with the same fitted cream coloured suits, sunglasses and hats.

The men looked at each other from time to time, across the terrace, through the crowd.

_Target acquired, Brother Zed, _one of the men had appeared to say, as the other nodded.

_Shouldn't we act now, Brother Ned?_ The other man inquired.

_No, I think tonight will a much better opportunity. No need to make a scene and Intelligence has told us she will be alone._

_Agreed, but she is a Super. She would hesitate to use her powers in the open as she wouldn't want to be revealed. That would be an advantage for us. You know she will not come along easy._

_We can deal with Supers, Brother Zed; we are trained for that. No, tonight is the better option._

_So, tonight it is then, Brother Ned._

No one on the terrace ever noticed that the two men had just had a complete conversation, as they were too far apart. They just sat, immobile, casually looking in each other's direction.

Never once had they moved their lips.

Time passed as the women chat of mundane, impersonal things. Mirage, considering she had been there long enough and the return trip to the castle being a two hour drive, decided to part with Amélie. The lawyer, ever busy, had already booked another meeting. They said goodbye to each other and went their separate ways.

Mirage did not notice, as she walked away from the café, that the two men had gotten up and from a distance, now followed her.

The Manor was silent that evening. No wind stirred the gardens as they were shrouded in the darkness of a moonless night. All lights were out as Mirage, tired from her day, had gone to bed early.

In one of the alleys set between the rows of roses, something suddenly stirred: A gust of wind, coming from nowhere, picked up loose gravel to spin it up in a tight spiral, like a small tornado of dust. It made a barely audible hiss, which grew louder.

In the middle of the atmospheric confusion, a faint light appeared.

As the hissing sound got louder, the light also intensified, engulfing the spinning cloud in a silvery sphere that grew in size. Suddenly, the whirlwind dissolved, broken apart by what appeared to be a solid object as the sphere of light had transformed into an opaque but still luminous crystal ball. The globe, about two meters tall, stood on the gravel alley.

The turbulence ceased and silence fell again on the garden.

An opening appeared on one side of the sphere. Two men, wearing black skin-tight suits, stepped out. Only their faces were visible as their eyes where shielded behind what appeared to be small night vision goggles, green and faintly glowing.

They held weapons.

The two men that had trailed Mirage that afternoon now silently stepped forward to scrutinize the dark gardens around them. They looked back and forth, scanning the area. Without a word, they agreed that one of them would go to the front, while the other would enter through the back.

As they separated, the man remaining at the back had only a few steps to make before reaching the locked French doors. He waited to see his partner disappear behind the corner.

He held up a small object near the lock. The device made an audible beep, and the door unlocked, the latch movement making an echo that reverberated down the hall. Not expecting this, the man froze, looking nervously around him.

The sound had awakened Mirage, who now stood alert in her bed. The bedroom was in complete darkness, but that did not bother her. Mirage appreciated having the ability to see clearly in the dark in times like this. And the fact that this power had been a well kept secret was sure to give her an advantage on whoever had entered the castle, as she instinctively knew that the night time visitor was more than just unwelcome, and that its intentions were probably be not very honourable.

She would have to confront whoever was out there.

Mirage was angry at herself for not having been more prepared for such an emergency. She had obviously been over-confident.

_Weapons, I have none_, she thought, cursing her lack of judgement.

Mirage got out of bed. In a flash of light, she _transmutated_, to reappear near the door. The crack under it would be wide enough to let her rematerialize on the other side, as she needed an opening for she was not able to pass through a solid object. But she hesitated in doing so; not knowing what was on the other side. She instead took the handle, pulled it down slowly and opened the door as silently as she could.

She leaned forward, to look inside the corridor

Mirage saw the man at the same time he saw her. She instinctively knew that coming face to face with an armed, dark figure with glowing green eyes in the middle of the night, meant nothing good.

He had drawn his weapon, but was hesitant for a fraction of a second, as he did not expect to come face to face with a girl with an angry and determined look on her face, wearing only a large T-shirt and underwear, and obviously about to attack.

He snapped back to his senses again, aimed the weapon at her and fired.

Mirage vanished just as a luminous shock wave fired from the gun would have hit her dead on. In a flash, she reappeared back inside the bedroom, quickly jumping over the bed, sliding on the covers to hide on the opposite side. The aggressor walked in, his weapon humming as it recharged. He pointed it towards the bed. Mirage had crawled under the bed frame, as it offered a temporary shield. She could see the man's legs from her vantage point. He had reached at the edge of the bed now, and was about to press the trigger.

In a flash of light, she reappeared behind him, to kick him on the back of the knee. The man lost balance as the blow forced him to kneel. Mirage then approached his side to hit him hard on the face with her fist.

The force of the blow made the man drop the weapon. Mirage kicked it, and it went sliding under the bed. Enraged by her resistance, he pushed her aside violently, making her roll on the carpet.The intruder rushed to the bed, reached under it to grab the weapon and then turned around to aim at Mirage who had already transmutated out of the bedroom, as she fled towards the stairs of the front entrance.

Mirage couldn't transmutate on long distances: It would take her a few jumps to reach the staircase. As she rematerialized, her attacker kept firing in her direction, to miss her every time, as Mirage fooled him by creating an avatar of her, confusing him. The attacker became even more frustrated as every time he shot one of the twins in front of him, he realized he had chosen, instead of his intended target, the intangible image as the shockwave went through it, as he couldn't guess that the real Mirage could switch positions back and forth with the avatar she had created.

Mirage reached the edge of the staircase at last, to run down as fast as she could, rushing towards the outside doors.

She dashed outside, slipping on the humid stone steps. Nearly tumbling down, she headed for the nearby woods. But she hadn't seen the other man waiting for her, leaning against the edge of the wall.

When she did, it was too late.

The weapon fired an electrical discharge through the air that hit Mirage straight in the sternum. The brutal blow sent her flying backwards through the air, and she came crashing down on the gravel.

Mirage now lay unconscious on the garden ground.

The man slowly walked over to her. He poked her immobile body with his weapon_. Target captured and neutralized, brother Zed,_ he said telepathically as he saw his partner come out of the castle with a hand on his jaw. _We must leave now._

Quietly, one of the men picked up Mirage to sling her over his shoulder. They headed back for the sphere. After they all had gotten inside, the opening silently closed. The globe then pulsated as a tornado of dust engulfed it, and it suddenly collapsed on itself in a cracking, thunderous sound, leaving nothing but leaves that rustled in the dying wind.

The castle grounds were quiet again.


	3. The Offer

**CHAPTER THREE: THE OFFER**

**_Mirage opened_** her eyes abruptly. She shivered as she rested on her side, her cheek pressed to the floor, a cold, polished hard surface. Her hands were bound, held together with metal restraints. She could not move as her body felt heavy like lead. Her eyes were unable to focus properly: Looking out ahead of her, she could only see a grey blur.

As she struggled to regain her senses, she recalled the chain of events that had happened before she had lost consciousness: a fight with an aggressor, a dash down the stairs, being caught off guard by another man waiting outside and a blinding flash of light.

Mirage took a deep breath. The dry air, smelling like strong antiseptic, made her cough. Slowly she moved up her arms to spread her fingers against the floor and with her remaining strength, pushed up her shoulders and lifted her head up. The room she was in swayed back and forth as a heavy bout of vertigo rushed over her. It took her an eternity to stand up, as her legs like felt like jelly. She leaned against the wall. Mirage's neck was sore. She felt a small bruise on its side as she touched it that made a bump similar to a bee sting. She could focus again now.

Mirage stood in what appeared to be a small cell. The room, just a few square meters in size, was featureless except for a low shelf attached to one of its walls, which served as a bunk. It had no apparent door. All the walls were smooth, made of a greyish substance that seemed neither rock nor steel. In fact, they were totally plain, with no openings for ventilation even light fixtures. A cold, greyish light emanated from them, enveloping Mirage in a sickly halo.

_How long have I been here?_ Mirage tried to search her memory, to gain any possible clue about her situation. She gave up, finding nothing, only feeling completely disoriented. Her body ached, a raging thirst adding to the discomfort. She realized she couldn't stay there for long, as the cell contained no amenities. Mirage then thought about air circulation or more importantly, of the apparent lack of it. She struggled to fight back a rush of anxiety, hoping whoever put her there had not forgotten her.

Mirage focused on her restraints. She had wanted instinctively to transmutate out of them, but was stunned by the fact nothing had happened. She tried again, holding back panic as she realized her attempt had failed.

Mirage struggled to stay calm. She had lost her powers.

_Prisoner, turn around._

Mirage froze as she heard the command. It took her a second to realize that she actually had not heard the voice, but rather had heard it resonate inside her head.

_Prisoner, turn around,_ the voice repeated, in the same flat, authoritative tone.

Mirage decided to hesitate in obeying, hoping to create a reaction from her captors. She regretted that decision immediately: A sudden wave of excruciating pain, intense like she had never felt, as if every nerve in her body had been pinched hard at the same time, made her collapse to the floor. Mirage shrieked, helpless, her body convulsing as the torture was unbearable. Then, as quickly as it had started, the pain stopped.

_Prisoner, stand up. _Mirage slowly got to her feet, her legs shaking.

_Prisoner, turn around. _She did not wait long to do so this time.

The wall in front of her suddenly slid open silently. Mirage instinctively stepped back as she saw the opening. On the other side, stood a pair of androids.

Mirage didn't doubt this a second, as the guards in front of her obviously looked like machines. What intrigued her most is that they were made of a substance like she had never seen before: Their armature had neither the appearance of steel nor flesh, but appeared to be similar to stone, with the difference of being flexible and transparent. As Mirage looked more carefully, she could see liquid flowing below the surface of their armour, as one would see inside microscopic cells.

_Prisoner, step forward. _Mirage did so, too eager to get out of the cell. She stood between the two androids which dwarfed her by their height. They looked down to her, the features of their faces like statues, their gaze cold and empty. Mirage looked around her. Her cell was located in the middle of an immense corridor, lost in what seemed to be hundreds of similar doors. All were numbered and beside them, a small red button glowed, its light reflecting off the polished grey walls.

Mirage shivered again. She was still dressed the same way as the night of her abduction. Her bare feet were hurting from the cold floor.

_Prisoner, move forward_. Mirage obeyed the telepathic command. The small group silently walked towards one of the ends of the long corridor, to reach an open elevator. The doors closed silently behind them as they stepped in. The elevator gently hummed. Mirage felt they were moving upwards at high speed.

The ride took more than a minute. Mirage had no idea how high they had gone, but without the outside world to glance at, it would have been possible that they were still underground.

The elevator stopped. The doors opened. One of the androids pointed a finger towards Mirage's shackles, making them open and fall to the floor. The other android grabbed her by the shoulders, and without a word, roughly pushed her out of the elevator, while they both remained inside. She turned to see the door close on them.

Mirage was alone. She stood in complete darkness, except for the dim red light of the button of the elevator. For the first time in her life, she found being in darkness disturbing. Mirage held her breath, blind in the total obscurity, listening out for any sound, only to hear her own heartbeat. She decided to step forward. The empty sound her footsteps made gave her the indication she was inside a very large room.

Mirage gave a sigh of relief. For as soon as she had started moving, the darkness around her began to recede. A light source had turned on, slowly growing in intensity, like the light of dawn would.

The strange architecture revealed in the dim light caught her attention: She stood at the entrance of what seemed to be some sort of large cathedral: On each side of her, rows of giant translucent stone pillars rose to reach each other in a gentle arc, so high it could barely be seen in the feeble light.

But something else happened as she had stepped forward. High up, between every other pillar, luminous displays appeared: They were holograms, circular and hanging in mid air. They each showed different illustrations, scenes composed out of a mosaic of light, like stained glass adorning windows of churches.

Mirage looked at them but could not figure out what they could mean: The one closest to her showed a stylized lion, standing erect on its hind legs, fighting what appeared to be a group of monkeys. The next, a silver mechanical man held a sword in one hand and a heart in the other.

Mirage walked slowly forward, looking up, as curiosity got the better of her. They were now different characters in the holographic stained glass floating above: a straw man -as it was obvious he was one, for he had straw coming out of his sleeves- was portrayed from the waist up with a serene look on his face, turning on his side, looking at what was a display of complex mathematical symbols. Mirage had recognized Pythagoras's Theorem, amongst others.

Mirage stopped after the next pillar. The hologram there showed a young girl, her eyes looking to the horizon, to what looked like an incoming tornado. On the opposite side, another hologram displayed a large castle painted on the horizon with a multitude of shining turrets decorated with flags. A yellow road snaked towards it.

Mirage had reached the end of the hall. She had stopped in front of what seemed to be an altar. It was a few steps up above her, large and made of the same translucent stone. The feet of the structure were sculpted in the shape of a small dog posed with its head up in a hopeful expression, like it had been waiting for the return of a long gone master.

Mirage suddenly realized she had been alone for a while now. She turned around to look behind her. She heard nothing but silence. If she focused more, she realized she could still hear her heartbeat, its pulse faintly echoing on the walls.

She then noticed the floors were not cold anymore. In fact, the whole room was comfortably warm now. She looked to her left. A door there was ajar. As she got closer, her ears detected the sound of a running stream. The intense thirst she felt made her put aside all precautions as she now focused entirely on the sound of the water.

She crossed the threshold of the door only to stop in amazement at what she saw: The door opened on the top of a few stone steps that overlooked an immense empty greenhouse, its windows as tall as the ceiling of the cathedral. The light that shone through could only have been the rays of a late afternoon sun.

In the middle of the floor below her, a fountain ran. Mirage immediately stepped down the stairs, rushing towards it.

She looked at the water. It flowed, pure, crystalline, and as tempting as an oasis in the desert could have ever been. She cupped her hands to gather some of the liquid, and eagerly drank it. She felt relieved.

"So, you're finally here. Come, we've been waiting for you," a voice behind her calmly said.

Mirage turned around. In the middle of another door that Mirage had not noticed yet, a person stood. Mirage's eyes widened, as she had never seen anyone so unusual. The figure standing in the doorway did not look like anything remotely human: The woman, as her delicate features suggested she could have been, stood at least tree meters tall. She was completely bald, her body reed thin, -much thinner than Mirage's- with fingers long and fine coming from a hand so big, it could easily wrap itself around Mirage's head. But her most striking features were fiery orange eyes and deep blue skin. She was draped in a loose, semi-transparent dress that flowed to the ground.

"We've been waiting for you," she said again. The woman stepped forward. She walked gracefully and quietly towards Mirage. In fact it seemed she glided instead of walking. She stopped in front of Mirage. "You are tall, for a human female," she said. "We were not told about this. We will have to make some adjustments. Come with me, we must prepare you to meet the Master."

"Who are you and where am I?" Mirage asked defiantly, not ready to follow the stranger without some form of explanation.

"All in due time, human. We must not keep the Baron waiting. It would most unpleasant for all of us."

Mirage wanted to object. But before she could open her mouth, she heard the woman's voice resonate loud and clear inside her head. Mirage suddenly understood she had no choice but to follow her.

They went through the door that the woman had appeared from. They were now beside the steps of a large pool, filled with hot water. The air was perfumed with the scent of tropical flowers. An immense bay window let daylight inside.

Mirage looked outside. She could see that they were on the last floor of a very tall building, so tall in fact, that it towered above the clouds. She could see in the distance other gigantic structures here and there, similar in their construction, their architecture of gigantic pillars of luminous crystal separated by elongated arcs and so high, they all pierced an opaque cloud cover that spread to infinity like dense fog.

Mirage had never seen anything like it.

"You must bathe and change before meeting with the Baron, human," the woman said, waving her hand towards the pool.

She clapped her hands. Four young women came out of another door, barefoot and giggling. They encircled Mirage, curiously touching her with their delicate fingers, and immediately proceeded to remove what little clothes she had on. One of them then took her by the hand.

"Come, you must bathe," they said in unison, laughing as they gently coaxed Mirage towards the water. Mirage didn't offer much resistance. She entered the pool, following them.

The water was hot and soothing, perfumed with delicate oils and scented salts. The bath was a welcome break from what had been a brutal awakening.

Mirage noticed they had taken her clothes away. Before long, another servant had then entered the room holding a beautiful long white dress. It was made of what seemed to be the finest material, translucent and iridescent, the light shining through the cloth separating into a myriad of different colors, as it would when entering a diamond.

She didn't question that the dress had been intended for her. It fit perfectly as she tried it on. The smooth, flowing see-through fabric subtly revealed Mirage's gracious silhouette. The women around her cooed their approval.

"The Baron will see you now," the tall creature said to Mirage. And, as if she had read Mirage's mind she added, "The Baron will answer all your queries. Be patient." She gestured towards the side door. "This way please."

The creature silently glided out of the door. Mirage followed her as the others remained behind.

They walked quietly alongside a corridor where the stone walls had an inner luminescence that glowed bluish green, similar to black light.

When they reached a large hall, the woman stopped and gestured Mirage to stay where she was. The woman bowed, stepped backwards and closed the door behind her.

The features of the room mirage had entered were similar to those of the cathedral she had walked through. Large pillars of luminescent crystal reached to the ceiling to form arches of gothic shape and proportion. They gave off a faint bluish-green glow that was the only source of light in the room, except for a fire roaring in a large stone fireplace, built inside the opposite wall. There were no windows. A long dinner table, carved out in heavy stone, had been lavishly prepared to receive guests: Enticing food and drink had been served on it, in large gold plates and delicate crystal glasses. Mirage walked towards the table, each step of her bare feet faintly echoing on the stone walls.

"Welcome, welcome!" A voice suddenly said, thunderous. It made Mirage jump.

A man bristly walked towards her, his arms open. He was tall and thin, wearing a red cape over his black jump suit, the collar of which was emblazoned with decorations of military type. His black hair was cropped short and he wore a small goatee finished in a sharp point that elongated his facial features. He stopped in front of Mirage, quickly glancing at her while holding his hands together. He smiled.

"Miss Moresso, I must say, you look absolutely ravishing. A relief, for my tired eyes." He gestured, pointing to the chair closest to the one near the end. Mirage would obviously be the guest of honour.

"Oh, but where are my manners," he added, snapping his heels together as he said that, in typical military fashion.

"Allow me to present myself: I am Baron Von Zordel. Horatio Von Zordel. And I am most thrilled and honoured to have you at my table, Miss Moresso." He took her hand, bent down and kissed it. "You must be famished. Sit down, please and feast."

Mirage sat down, without uttering a word. As he did so himself, he clapped his hands. Servants immediately came to the table, carrying trays filled with all sorts of meats and vegetables. Mirage sat straight and still, refusing to touch any food.

Mirage finally spoke. "Would it be rude of my part to ask you for an explanation on what happened? Where Am I? Why did you kidnap me?"

The Baron shook his head. "Oh, kidnap… It's such an ugly word." He leaned his elbows on the table as he looked into her eyes. "You see, Miss Moresso, or if I may, Mirage, I did bring you here. I'm terribly sorry if you were in any which way mistreated... Bear in mind that the fools who dared lay a hand on you have been dealt with."

Mirage was now irritated by all his pompous posturing. "You had no right to kidnap me. I am entitled to an explanation," she said, dryly.

The Baron put his hands together. His eyes narrowed on her.

"Do you really want to know, Mirage? The truth might displease you…"

He snickered. "Where do you think you are, Mirage?" He paused. "Or should I say, _when _do you think you are?"

Mirage said nothing. The idea her host had put forward sounded at first glance preposterous, but everything she had seen up to now told her he could not have been lying.

The Baron opened his hands. "Welcome to the future, Mirage," he said. "Welcome to Paradise."

Mirage tried to conceal her shock. The Baron added: "Yes, Mirage, your future, my present."

He was wild eyed now. "I'll let you guess how many years ahead of your era we actually are, Mirage. Forgive me if I have a bit of fun at your expense."

Mirage's hands grabbed the arms of the chair she sat in, but the Baron motioned her to stay seated.

"It would be most advisable for you to remain where you are and to listen to me," the Baron said, leaning back in his chair. "There is nowhere for you to go. You would be wise not to debate this."

The Baron poured Mirage a glass of wine. "I have a proposition for you, Mirage," he said, presenting her the drink. "An offer you'll surely find interesting…"

The Baron took a sip from his glass. He looked elated, as he eyed her up and down. "I must say," he said, "time travel is truly amazing. But before we dwell on how marvellous science is, you must allow me to explain myself first. The main reason I had you brought here, Mirage, is that you are in possession of something that is very dear to me."

Mirage did not react.

The Baron went on. "Actually, Mirage, I need to be more specific. It is not something that belongs to you that I'm interested in. It has more to do with your special relationship with someone: I am interested in your father's work, Doctor William Moresso."

Mirage was stunned to hear her father's name. She took a second before answering slowly. "There is nothing I can tell you about my father's work. And even if I could, I wouldn't, for I am certain your intentions are far from honourable."

The Baron spoke again, not looking surprised about Mirage's uncooperative behaviour. "William Moresso was chief director at the CERN laboratory. His work was highly classified. CERN, _Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire, _the old French acronym standing for European Council for Nuclear Research, had its laboratories located on the Franco-Swiss border near Geneva. It contained the world's largest particle accelerator of the era, an immense ring-shaped tube surrounded by powerful magnets, dozens of kilometres in circumference. Oh yes, we know all that, Mirage."

The Baron's eyes gleamed as he spoke. "Your father's work, if you truly ignore its nature, focused on sub-atomic particle research. It seems your father had found the _Holy Grail_ of Science: He had discovered some of the key elements that proved that a theory, which the scientific community called the _Grand Unification Theory_, was true. That Theory unified all the known types of forces in the universe with a common bond: gravity, magnetism and the forces that bind atoms together. Before, they were all considered separate entities, but his discoveries led science towards finding a common thread, an underlying link, deep into the smallest recesses of the sub atomic realm. We have achieved wonders with this knowledge since then, incredible progress in all fields of science and technology."

The Baron paused, smiling. "And also, therefore in Society and Civilisation. And, as in any flourishing civilisation, in the _control of subversive elements_," he added, more quietly.

His tone became sombre. "A lot of people did not understand that by not wanting to abide by society's rules, created as they had forgotten, for their own well being, they became a threat to the powers established. And by doing so, they became a threat to themselves."

The Baron stabbed a piece of meat from his plate and brought it up, waving it gently in front of Mirage's face. "They don't understand the government is well meaning, Mirage. They don't understand that we have to protect them for themselves. They don't understand that they are _wrong_ in their beliefs."

He paused. "I'm talking about Supers, Mirage, _your_ kind."

Mirage stared at him, her face impassive.

He looked at her sideways. "Having superpowers can make you very dangerous, Mirage," he said. "One could easily be temped to use those powers for an illegitimate cause. We must not let this happen. That is why I agree with the government's official position: The complete and definitive _eradication_ of all Supers. The government has been hunting them down for many years now, and has been quite successful in controlling their numbers. It is known that only a handful remains. And we will find them, Mirage."

Mirage's blood had frozen in her veins. The situation had suddenly turned for the worse.

The Baron smiled. "You are a Super, Mirage. Yes, we know a lot of things about you. I'm sorry by the way, about having your powers neutralized. It's just a safety precaution. But don't worry, the process is reversible. We have accomplished wonders in the field of genetics since your time."

"I'm losing myself in trivial details again," the Baron said, "so I'll come to the point now: The important thing to remember is that whoever controls the forces of nature, controls the Supers and therefore, controls the world…"

The Baron leaned forward. "And for this, I need _you_, Mirage Moresso."

The Baron put his hand on Mirage's. "Oh don't worry. If you cooperate, the powers in place will gladly close their eyes on your status. We can have your powers neutralized permanently, and you'll be granted asylum. The future is a most, most incredible place, Mirage," he added, waving his hand around, "and I would be delighted to take you for a tour after dinner if you didn't mind…"

Mirage took her hand away.

The Baron went on. "We know that your father left you and your mother when you were a young child. It was speculated that the sensitivity of his research had made him a targeted man. By going abroad and officially severing ties, leaving you behind and out of the picture, he thought he could have had in a way, protected you. Maybe he was right to do so, for he suddenly one day disappeared, never to be seen again."

The Baron looked concerned: "Your father left a lot of loose ends when he vanished. His findings had caused quite an uproar in the scientific community and when it was discovered he had omitted to include important elements from his last research paper, scientists felt they had been left with a great irreparable loss."

Mirage lowered her eyes. She remembered too well the pain she felt of just being able to hear about her father only through newspapers articles. She remembered the anguish she felt as she had read about her father's sudden disappearance. She had speculated ever since on what had happened to him.

"I know nothing of my father's work," she said coldly.

"Aren't you hungry?" The Baron asked her, seeing her reluctance to touch anything. "Ah yes," he added. "It must be the meat. It had slipped my mind you were a vegetarian. These, then, should be more to your tastes," he said, as he showed her a plate of exotic fruits.

Mirage shook her head: "If you know that I've barely had any interaction with my father, then how could I know anything about his work?" Mirage became sombre. "And if I did, may I ask then of your immediate intentions?"

"We have been working for some time the Government and I," said the Baron, "on a device based on your father's experiments and knowledge. But we have gone so far. Your father's disappearance was most untimely… We need to go on, we need more information, and you can give it to us, Mirage. The Government would be most grateful for your cooperation. You would be greatly rewarded. So, Please, I invite you to cooperate."

Mirage frowned as stared at him. "So this is what it's all about? You just want me to collaborate with you? To seek and destroy Supers?" Mirage sneered at him. "Do you honestly think that forcefully imposing your will upon me and then trying to seduce me with all this superficial display of power will make me want to help you? I'm very sorry my _dear Baron_, but you will have to look elsewhere for assistance."

"Oh I'm sorry, but you will help us," the Baron said. "You possess knowledge that is buried, deep inside your memory. We've been gathering intelligence for quite a while and yes, it all comes down to you." The Baron picked an apple from the bowl in front of him. "Don't you remember that you and your father played mathematical puzzles together?"

Mirage remembered. As a young girl, she loved to hide in her father's study, in the large house they lived in, in the woods of the countryside. Her father gave her brainteasers to develop her logical skills. She always solved the puzzles.

"It appears one of those puzzles is the key to what we are looking for," Zordel said.

Mirage shook her head. "How could I recall such a small detail from my childhood? There are too many…" Mirage's tone became colder. "I'm afraid will not be of any use to you."

The Baron smiled at her with a cold, wide smile. "I'm sorry to disagree with you, Mirage."

He snapped his fingers. Two androids, similar to Mirage's jail keepers, approached from behind, to stand beside her.

The Baron sighed. "I wished you could have been more cooperative. But, we were expecting that. You have to understand I need this information, Mirage."

He snapped his fingers again. The androids quickly grabbed Mirage by the arms, forcefully lifting her out of the chair. She struggled in vain.

"Take her to the laboratory. Have the doctor take care of her." Mirage tried to fight back, but the robots were too strong for her.

The Baron sat alone at the table now, absentmindedly sipping his wine. With a gesture of his hand, he waved to a man to come out from the shadows of one of the pillars – as he had been hiding there - and come forward to him.

"So, my dear Romulus, what do you think of our guest?" the Baron asked the person.

The man had approached the table. He was an older man, fat and slumping, walking slow, as his short stubby legs could not carry him far on one stride. His skin, spotted and scarred, greyish and dull, sagged on his bare arms. He was covered in blood stained ragged clothes, dirty and worn out, dragging on the floor, like those of a monk who would have had inflicted upon himself too many corporal punishments. He struggled as he breathed, his long, oily hair fluttering in front of his dry mouth, each breath he took ending in a forced wheeze. He held a long dagger of fine craftsmanship, made of gold and silver and decorated with precious stones.

"Ooh, Your Lordship," the man said, trembling as he whispered in the Baron's ears. "Ooh. She is a Witch. I saw it in her eyes. She is one of _them_… Please, my Lord, please. I beg you... Let _Kieria_, my Trusted Blade, take care of her. Let it pierce her flesh and her blood be spilled in the name of the _Great Auz_."

"My dear Romulus, tell me something I don't know already," the Baron said, annoyed with the man's enthusiasm. "You know I don't subscribe to what you call your Faith, but, as you have been helpful to me in the past, I will give you the chance. Just let the plan go on accordingly. If all goes well, you can do whatever you want with her when the time comes."

The man's body shivered in anticipation. "Ooh, thank you. Thank you, Your Grace," he said, walking away from the Baron, bowing ostentatiously to him until he disappeared back in the shadow.

The Baron looked briefly at Mirage's empty seat, and continued drinking his wine.

The androids had taken Mirage away to a medical laboratory. The room had a large operating table, equipped with steel restraints. Mirage lay on her back, her forearms and legs tightly bound to the table by the metal shackles. She could not move her head for a frame of steel clamps, like fingers from an open hand, held it back tightly against the table.

The robots left the room as a man, clad in a long white lab coat, walked to the table. Without a word, he looked down at Mirage, as if he studied her. His face had a cold and stern expression.

He put on a pair of rubber gloves that were on a tray, set beside the table. It had different sorts of surgical instruments on it, spread out on a cotton sheet.

He ran a gloved finger on Mirage's forehead back and forth, as if he had been looking for a peculiar spot.

He spoke quietly. "It is sad, sad indeed, that we must come this, Miss Moresso, but we have to retrieve that information."

He went on. "The brain, is somewhat like a sponge: Deep inside it, are stored every event you've ever witnessed, every emotion you've ever felt. And with the proper tools, we can now read into it rather easily." The doctor leaned over her. "There is a catch though: To be successful, we have to retrieve a rather large sample of your brain tissue… Oh, don't worry, the procedure is painless, a little bit discomforting at the worst, as you must remain conscious."

"You should be content to know," he added coolly, "that those who survived the procedure never noticed the change in their personality."

The doctor smiled. "In fact, you'll never be unhappy ever again…"

Mirage tried to move, desperate to escape. The doctor looked at her. "Your powers", he said. "Oh, no, no, no... You must have noticed by now. I've taken care of this when we brought you in."

The doctor walked to a console. He pressed a button. "It is time now," he said, calmly.

Above the table, a multi-jointed mechanical arm started moving, to come down and take position just a few centimeters above Mirage's head. Its end had a large sharp tipped stainless steel needle. A drop of cold fluid dripped out of its tip to fall on Mirage's forehead.

"Please just relax, don't fight. It will only make things worse," the doctor said.

The arm moved again, slowly bringing the needle downward. Mirage could only watch as the sharp point came closer.


	4. Resistance

**CHAPTER FOUR: RESISTANCE**

**_Another drop_** of cold fluid had seeped out of the needle to come running down the bridge of Mirage's nose. The harsh smell of the liquid, similar to formaldehyde, irritated her nostrils. Mirage had closed her eyes, exhausted in her struggle to escape. Her body had become numb with terror, as the restraints held her firmly, holding her down. The doctor stood beside the operating table, looking on impassively.

A distant rumble suddenly caught his attention. The floor of the room had shaken for a second. The tremors happened again a few moments later, but this time much stronger, almost throwing the surgical tray to the floor.

The sound of the rumble had now become the sound of an explosion. The doctor had become alarmed by the ruckus and looked nervously at the closed door of the operating block. Another explosion then rocked the laboratory again, but much closer than the previous ones. The doctor looked panicked now. He turned to stare at Mirage. The needle still had not touched her yet.

A violent blast, making a deafening sound, ripped the laboratory's steel door off its hinges to send it flying across the room. The force of the blow had thrown the doctor to the ground and he lied there, amongst the debris. Smoke had filled the operating block.

A man came running through the demolished door. The doctor cursed as he saw him, to then frantically reach under his lab coat to pull out a weapon. He aimed it at the man and fired, but the intruder had seen him and had ducked, avoiding the shot.

The intruder outstretched his arm and pointed a finger at the doctor. A beam of intense blue light, like a flash of electricity, shot out from the end of his extended digit to reach the doctor and engulf him in what appeared to be a force field. The doctor let out a muffled cry as he had been instantaneously paralyzed by the beam that hit him. The man then raised his arm, lifting the doctor effortlessly inside the ball of energy he had created and swung him effortlessly across the room to make him crash hard against the wall. The doctor now lay unconscious on the floor.

The man had approached the operating table. Quickly glancing at Mirage, he hesitated for a second before speaking.

"This is Zeta One. I'm in," he said. He held out a small device and pointed it at Mirage. "I've got a positive I.D. She fits the description and, it's confirmed, she doesn't have a Marker."

Mirage was not sure what all the commotion around her had been about. She knew the doctor had been put out of commission as she did not hear him anymore. She could barely see the intruder from the corner of her eye through the smoke, as her head was locked into position and forced to look upward. She felt another drop of fluid fall on her forehead, yet another reminder she was still in grave danger. She let out a loud gasp.

"Oh, yeah, hang on," the man said, as he suddenly realized the needle was about to enter Mirage's forehead. He pointed his outstretched hand towards the console that controlled the mechanical arm. A blinding flash, crackling like an electric bolt of lightning, came out of his hand, crossed the room and entered the control panel. It immediately blew open, sparks flying everywhere as all of its circuits had been melted down by what had appeared to be an intense power surge. The needle mechanism immediately stopped moving.

The man bent over the operating table. He quickly pushed the arm up and away from Mirage. He reached under the table. Mirage heard a clanging sound as she felt her restraints being suddenly loosened. Her body was weak, shaking. She could hardly believe she was free again. The man quickly helped her to her feet.

"You are going to have to come with me now, we can't stay here," he said to her in a very pressing manner. "I've managed to block an outer door, but they're on us... We have about a minute."

Mirage saw the unconscious doctor on the floor amidst the rubble. She then looked at the man who had saved her. She didn't say anything, as what had just happened did not quite make sense. For all she knew, this could have been one of the Baron's devious games to milk more information out of her.

"We have to get out of here," the man said again as he reached into a small backpack he had been carrying. He ran to one of the laboratory's wall and placed a small palm sized object on its surface. He pressed a combination on the small keypad that was visible on top of the device. It started beeping. He ran back to Mirage. "Get down, quick, and cover your ears."

Mirage took one look at the device and did not hesitate. They both kneeled down quickly behind the operating table.

"We are pretty high up, there is going to be decompression," he said.

Just as he finished his sentence, the device on the wall exploded, sending rubble flying everywhere in the laboratory. Mirage felt her ears pop as the air pressure dropped suddenly. A rush of cold air enveloped them, the atmosphere in the laboratory filling with a fine mist, as one would see in an airplane that had suddenly lost cabin pressure at a high altitude.

There was a gaping hole in the wall now. As the air settled in the laboratory, daylight now filtered through the dust and haze. Mirage's breathing had become more difficult. She felt her body weakening again.

The man grabbed her by the arm. "Follow me," he said. "If we stay here, they are going to kill us."

Mirage hesitated, as the man was pulling her towards the hole. "You have to come with me," he said in a more urgent tone. "Look sister," he added as he now seemed annoyed with Mirage's reticence, "they were about to take a sizeable chunk of your brain... Now that's a pretty good argument to say goodbye to those losers."

He lifted his left wrist. It had on it a small control panel. He quickly typed in a few commands.

"Wait for it," he said, looking at the gaping hole. Mirage heard a strange, humming, electrical sound.

"Here we go!" The man grabbed Mirage's arm and pulled her hard towards the opening. She tried to resist, but to no avail. They both jumped out.

Mirage's heart leap out of her chest as they fell out in the open.

They did not fall for long though. Mirage had barely realized she had jumped out that she had crashed unceremoniously into the seat of a waiting vehicle. The man had already taken place in the driver's seat and had taken the wheel.

Mirage had just then noticed she was a passenger in a convertible sports car. A _flying_ sports car, which had hovered to a complete stop in front of the hole they had made in the building, high enough that they were above the clouds.

The man did not waste a second. The vehicle jumped forward. Mirage had just the time to grab the dashboard to hang on. It accelerated to a vertiginous speed.

"You can breathe normally now, there is a force field around the hovercar," the man said. He looked at her. "Buckle up, we are going for a ride." Mirage knew by the look he gave her that he obviously meant it and that it would be wise to do so.

Mirage had barely strapped herself in, that she gasped in surprise: The pilot had brought the hovercar into a steep dive, almost to the vertical. They quickly reached the cloud cover below them and entered it.

Mirage had been shocked by everything she had seen up to now. But nothing had prepared her for the spectacle she now witnessed as they burst through the bottom of the cloud cover. Mirage's eyes widened, her mouth gaping in amazement.

They were now flying over an immense city. A metropolis so gigantic it spread to the horizon. Kilometer wide avenues were aligned with colossal skyscrapers, perhaps thousands of stories high, that reached to the sky to disappear in the dense cloud cover. Directly below them, multi-leveled streets and passageways, that seemed to reach deep down under the surface as far as the eye could see, were tangled in a maze-like web that bustled with life and activity: In every direction, flying vehicles of all shapes and sizes, from the smallest to the enormous, flew fast in what seemed to be a frantic and almost insane ballet, although tightly choreographed.

As they got closer to the ground, they did not slow down. The pilot leveled the craft. Mirage could now see sidewalks flying by now, filled with busy pedestrians going about their business, and the fact that some of them did obviously not appear human did not bother Mirage, as she now was too overwhelmed by all the scenery that flew by before her.

The whole city around her was a three dimensional multi-media orgy of the senses: Everywhere, gigantic holographic images, layers upon layers of entangled and overlapping information, were spewed out like a flood of colour and sounds. They reached out to whoever was there, trying to grab their attention, and between streams of breaking news, -some of the headlines written in mysterious and illegible alphabet- tried to sell products and services Mirage had no idea what they could be.

"We've got company," the man said, as he had looked at a small screen that served as a rear view mirror. They were now being followed by a pair of what appeared to be law enforcement vehicles. The hovercars behind them had flashing lights and sirens on. They were coming in on them fast.

The man cursed as he looked at a control screen. "Oh, damn, the cloaking system has just failed." He looked at Mirage for a second and hesitated before reaching out in front of her to open a small compartment. "Here," he said, as he dropped a rather large gun into her lap.

Mirage stared at the weapon. Like everything else around her, it looked like nothing she had ever seen. Heavy and chrome plated, its cannon was a solid metal piece with no opening. It would obviously not fire a conventional projectile.

The man became impatient. "Look, help me out here. Shoot them, please."

Mirage was getting more and more tired of being bullied around. And shooting at what seemed like law enforcement agents was something she was not keen on. She grew more and more impatient with what was going on.

The man insisted. "_Sister_, this is not a time for debating. Trust me," he said, as he looked at her from the corner of his eye as he kept a watch on the incoming traffic. "You don't ever want to fall into their hands. They are the Secret Police. We call them the _Eradicators_. Their primary job is to hunt down and kill Supers. They are from the Government, and they're also under Zordel's orders." He pressured her again. "So, do me a favor: Take the gun, aim, shoot, and bring them down."

Mirage was enraged now. She had had enough of being pushed around, forced to act against her will. "Don't you dare tell me what to do," she said to him, her fists clenched in anger against the weapon.

"Moresso," he added, irritated by her reluctance. "Take them down, or we're dead meat." Mirage looked at him for a second, taken aback by the fact he knew her name. She looked behind her again. She then capitulated, knowing now she had no other option.

Mirage twisted herself around. She lifted the heavy weapon, steadying it on the edge of her seat, and aimed it at the car on her right. A blast, neither laser nor bullet, shot out of the end of the gun to make a visible trace in the air. The hovercar she had shot at made a quick evasive manoeuvreand came immediately back behind them. Both cars now opened fire on them, barely missing, but every shot getting dangerously closer.

"This is bad. There will be more and more coming at us," the pilot said. "We'll have to do something more drastic. Get back in the seat, quick, and hang on..."

Mirage looked ahead. Her teeth grinded together as she grabbed the dashboard, her knuckles turning white. For in an effort to lose their pursuers, the man had taken their hovercar directly into the oncoming traffic.

Mirage watched helplessly as they entered a flow of fast flying vehicles that rushed towards them, their collision warning sirens blaring wildly, frantically trying to correct their trajectory. The traffic that flew around their hovercar was as dense as red blood cells flowing in a large artery.

"Well the traffic isn't too bad today," the man said in a rather relaxed manner, wearing a coy smile on his face as he expertly manoeuvred their car in and out of the flow. Mirage turned to him and thought she might be dealing with a mad man with a death wish. "Just a little while longer and we'll be, whoa…"

Mirage's heart leaped out of her chest as she gasped. They were flying fast towards a group of rather large cargo trucks huddled together so tightly there was no space for them to fly through. They were close enough now that they could see the other driver's terrified stare. Mirage shut her eyes tight.

The pilot suddenly pushed the hovercar hard to the left and down. It flipped over completely, banking out of the traffic in a graceful spiral, passing right underneath the screeching mass of trucks that were blocking their path.

They now headed straight down again, to reach one the multitude of underground levels. They were vast openings filled with galleries of shops and apartment blocks that had even more activity than on the surface.

The man gave a sigh of relief, as he stabilized the hovercar into a flow of slower moving traffic. "We're going to be okay now, we've lost them and we've got our cloak back on. That means we have vanished from their GPS. They can't find us now; we're fooling their sensors by pretending to be security cleared." He looked at her, concerned. "But I what I don't understand, is that they broke off the pursuit rather quickly... Whatever the reason, it's to our advantage right now. But we still have to get out of the city; we are too easy to, hey!"

The man had been somewhat interrupted. Mirage now sat with her back against the passenger door, her arms stretched, nudging her feet against the side of the pilot. She had the weapon aimed directly at his head. He turned cautiously to see her staring back at him, her eyes filled with anger and exasperation.

Out of frustration, she rammed the gun hard into the man's temple. "Now you listen to me, and listen very well," Mirage said, through her clenched teeth. "I don't care who you are. And I don't care about the fact that you probably saved my life earlier, but I am telling you this: If I don't get a clear explanation about this charade very soon, I will not hesitate, and I will blow your brains out. I've seriously had enough of this."

The pilot settled back uneasily in his seat. He said nothing for a second. "All right, all right. It's true you deserve an explanation. I'll give you one, okay? Just be careful with the gun, please."

They had reached the outskirts of the city. Skyscrapers had become scarce and now had given way to refineries and automated processing plants that spread out like a blanket over a reddish desert of burning dunes of sand that reached the horizon. Acrid smog fouled the air, colouring it in a greenish yellow. The dense cloud cover had thinned out to nothing.

"Look," the man said, we can take a break now, we're safe for the moment. I'll just pull over around here."

The hovercar had stopped on the top of a windy sand dune. Around and below, large pipes from the surrounding refineries went in every direction.

"Get out of the car," Mirage said to him, as she had already done so. They now faced each other, a few meters apart.

"Look, I'm sorry about the introduction and the ride," the man said, the palm of his hands turned up. "I can give you an explanation, but you'll have to be patient."

Mirage looked around her. "I've got time," she said, dryly. She gave a quick nod towards her gun.

"Moresso," the man said, with a strange smile on his face. "One of the first rules of survival is…" He slowly pointed his finger at her. "Guns made of steel are conductive."

A bolt of lightning shot out from his finger as he said that. It went right towards the muzzle of Mirage's gun.

It felt as if she had been punched hard the stomach. The force of the blow pushed her violently backwards, the gun flying in one direction, Mirage in the other.

The man then made a sweeping motion with his arms. A metallic blue force field shot out of his hands and it engulfed her. She was instantaneously paralysed. Mirage could still breathe and move her eyes, but that was all she could do. He effortlessly lifted her up a few meters. She was now hanging in the air, totally immobilised, slightly above him.

_Zero Point_, she thought. _That has to be __Zero Point... But it's not a device, he's creating it..._

The man obviously had not been pleased by being taken hostage and having a weapon aimed at his head. "Now look here, Moresso," he said, "let's be clear on this; I am not going to hurt you." He seemed to have calmed down as he said that, for his tone of voice lowered. "Look," he said a bit hesitantly, "if I had wanted to, I could have killed you just by snapping my fingers." He straightened up and took a deep breath. "I'm going to let you go now. No funny business, and I promise, I'll explain everything. At least, as much as I can."

He lowered his arm very slowly, gently putting Mirage on the ground while keeping an eye on the gun. It was far enough for him to feel safe. The force field enveloping Mirage faded.

Mirage was free to move again. She was still very angry at him. "Well, start talking. I'm listening," she said, impatiently.

The man did not do so. Instead he nodded slightly, tilting his head on the side, with a sly smile on his face.

Mirage suddenly understood why he was staring at her like that: The sun was setting and was now low upon the horizon. Its rays were almost horizontal, illuminating the little sand hill they had stopped on. But they also happened to go right through Mirage's translucent dress. She was almost fully revealed to him now. She quickly stepped aside into the concealing shadow of a nearby refinery pipe.

The man sighed. "Mirage," he said, in a low quiet voice, as he held out his hand. "Do you know where you are?"

Mirage realized she had not taken a good clear look at him yet: He was a young man, barely older than her. His face had thin and angular features that were well defined but delicate. He had a long aquiline nose, and piercing green eyes of a darker color than Mirage's. His disheveled hazel hair, cut not too short, fluttered around his forehead, moved by the gusts of the desert wind. Taller than Mirage, he was thin with a developed athletic build. He wore a fitted dark blue suit that had two small steel dots on the collar. His left ear was pierced, and through it a small platinum ring was visible.

Mirage hesitantly answered. "My conversation with Zordel was rather short. He did not tell me much," she said. "He only told me I had been taken to the future." Mirage looked around her. "And for what I have seen up to now, there is not doubt that this is true."

The man approached her slowly. "Yes, Mirage, you are in the future. How far into the future might come as a surprise to you," he said.

"Zordel did not say," Mirage said again, backing cautiously away from him. She stiffened her body as she crossed her arms. "Go ahead. Tell me. I am a grown up."

The man took a deep breath. "Mirage, the year you are in now is twenty-eight sixty-five." He sighed. "You are about eight hundred years after your era."

Mirage did not expect to hear such astonishing news. She felt her legs weaken slightly and she wavered a bit, but she recovered her equilibrium quickly. The man had stepped forward, ready to catch her if she had fallen.

"I think you should sit back down in the hovercar," he said. "You're having a typical reaction. It must be a big shock." Mirage looked at him again, her arms still crossed, her lips pursed. She stubbornly refused to give him reason. He looked like he felt genuinely sorry for her.

Mirage did not want to show her uneasiness. "As I expected," she said, her voice pitched slightly higher than usual as she was flustered, "the future is riddled with flying cars and impossibly high buildings... I'm not in any way surprised by that." She cut him off. "Oh, don't read me wrong," she added, "for I am still in awe. It's just that..." She looked at the horizon. Her voice lowered. "I was hoping that in the future, society would have had shown some form of progress. I hoped that we would have had finally come to our senses..." She sighed. "It seems to me that we have not."

"There is still hope, Mirage," the man said. "We just have to work a little more at it than we expected..."

Mirage looked at him again. "I would appreciate it if we were to properly introduce ourselves. That would be a start," she said after a second of silence.

"Of course, where was I...? Sorry about this," the man said.

He smiled as he stood straight in front of her. He slightly bowed his head. "My name is Lieutenant Jack Thompson. I am a member of the Resistance. I am involved in the _Fight_."

The words had piqued Mirage's curiosity. "The resistance? The fight?" she asked.

"I am a Super, Mirage," the Lieutenant said quietly. "These are very dark times we are in. Supers have been declared completely illegal, enemy number one of the State, centuries ago." He pointed a finger at her. "The events that have led to this started in your era by the way..." Mirage knew too well what he talked about. He went on. "Things have got even worse: The authorities have launched themselves into a witch hunt, as the Government has seen fit to conduct an all out campaign of extermination," he said as he frowned, looking at the ground. "A lot of good people were lost in the sweeps the Government had ordered," he added quietly. "Things have now reached a critical stage. There are only a few dozens of us left around the world, and we can't even be sure of that. A lot of our efforts are centered on trying to regroup. We are in hiding, constantly on the run, constantly avoiding traps set for us."

He looked angry now. "We live in a world where it is very hard to be invisible. The Government has eyes and ears everywhere. Everyone is a potential spy... It's becoming harder and harder to stay ahead of the game. Everyone here is marked, tagged, _G.P.essed_, processed, formed, reformed, sent to work, sent home, and if you're not happy about it, you take a stress pill... If you don't, you become a nuisance and then, you disappear." He turned to the horizon. "Welcome to the future, Mirage," he said with his arms outstretched. "Welcome to Hell."

He walked over and picked up the gun. Mirage did not mind, she instinctively knew he was not lying. The Lieutenant went to sit back in the Hovercar. He started the engine that came to life with a gentle hum.

"There's a lot more to this, but we have to leave now. The cloaking mechanism on the hovercar is very unreliable. If it fails, we won't be seen as _Security Cleared Ordinary Citizens_ anymore, but we'll be fugitives again and they'll jump on us." He looked at her. "Well, at least, just on me. For you see, you don't really exist, Mirage."

Mirage looked back at him, incredulously. He waved at her to come forward. "We have to go." He understood her inquisitive look as she had sat down. "What I meant by this is that you don't have a Marker. A _Genetic Marker_. It's a unique identifying pattern based on a person's DNA. No two are alike... It holds everything there is to know about you. It can tell if a person will get sick with a specific form of cancer at a certain age or if they'll lose their hair, or, if they're brilliant or idiots. It can determine if a subject would be able to become an Olympic caliber athlete, or if it can be afraid of heights, you name it... It can also tell if you're as Super, or not..." He frowned. "The Government holds all the records of the world's population in a centralized database, in a building so heavily guarded, it is like a fortress."

They were flying again, out in open, low and fast, following the sand dunes of the desert. Mirage looked around her. There was nothing to see but an endless ocean of dry sand. The Lieutenant seemed to know were they were going though, as he checked his instruments from time to time with a relaxed glance.

"War is peace, Mirage," he suddenly said, out of the blue, after some time of silence. "The government seems to have figured out that the best path to prosperity was to create a permanent state of war, with a permanent enemy." He turned to her. "Every action they took, however ludicrous was now justifiable. Supers were the perfect excuse."

"Orwell," Mirage answered. The Lieutenant glanced at her. Mirage went on. "You quoted George Orwell. He wrote a novel called Nineteen Eighty-Four. It was about a gloomy vision of the world of the future, set in that year. Considered a futuristic date when the author wrote it in the late nineteen forties."

Mirage's eyes darkened as she focused on the horizon. "It spoke about a totalitarian, heavily bureaucratic society, permanently at war with its neighbors. They spied on their citizens with cameras installed in their homes. They had miserable lives. Anyone criticizing the Government was found guilty of committing what was called _Thoughtcrime _and was quickly disposed of... The Government justified its means by using the pretext of a perpetual war against an ever changing, but not clearly defined, permanent enemy: Therefore every means of gathering information, -spying on their own citizens being one of them- would be allowed, for the cause of _National Security_."

The lieutenant smiled. "Thanks, I read my classics. It's unbelievable though, how fiction can become reality."

He looked serious again. "Concerning the Database," he added, "the most critical thing you should know is that you are not in it, Mirage. Being plucked from the past has given you an advantage. An advantage we plan to use."

Mirage had too many questions for him now. But one burned her more than the other. "How did you find me?" She asked. "I mean, Zordel had made most of his intentions clear… It was his men who came to pick me up. He wanted me to collaborate with him. He knew a lot about my peculiar situation. He obviously seemed frustrated by the fact I wouldn't."

Mirage leaned over to him. "Why did I have to go through all this? I mean, why not just materialize at the Castle, explain yourself and ask for my cooperation? Why let Zordel get to me first?"

Lieutenant Thompson interrupted her. "Time travel, Mirage... This may be the future to you and as you can see, we've come a long way... But there still are certain things which are excruciatingly difficult to achieve. Time travel is one of them. Zordel is with the Government. He has his own agenda, and it's tough enough to try to figure out. The machine he used was built and is controlled by the authorities. It takes an incredible amount of resources to operate. Nothing like the resistance can even think of obtaining without exposing us in the open, like sitting ducks."

He looked at her. "We have a plan, Mirage. We'll explain it to you soon. But, back to Zordel. We had no choiceTo pick you up we had to let them get you first."

Mirage became annoyed at that last comment. "You mean your organization knew about my kidnapping?" She snapped at him. "You knew about what they were about to do to me?"

The Lieutenant laughed. "Whoa, relax, your Highness," he said with a smile. "Look, I'm sorry we were introduced that way... You have to understand, we only had a very limited amount of information concerning your arrival. I didn't even know until I saw you that you were about to have a needle poked into your brain..."

Mirage still had so many questions to ask, but she felt numb now from all the turmoil she had experienced. She settled back in her seat, feeling the wind in her hair. The sun had set behind the horizon, the glare of the light on the sand had faded. The foulness of the air had disappeared.

"Where are we going?" she finally asked the Lieutenant, after a few minutes of silence.

"We are going to rejoin with the others. We'll explain to you everything in more detail then," he said. "We are going to Ishtaar."

"**_Ishtaar_**?" Mirage asked him.

"Yes, Mirage," he said. "The last city of Supers."

The Baron watched the fire's embers glow in the large fireplace. He had been alone for a moment now. A soft beeping sound, echoing on the stone walls, took him out of his reverie. With a light tap, he touched his communicator wristwatch. He listened to the incoming message.

"Sir," a voice said. "We've lost their tracks near the outskirts of the city. We have broken pursuit with them like you requested. We could easily capture them if we had more men, but..."

The Baron interrupted the voice. "It's alright. We'll get them some other time. You can recall all your men."

"Very well, sir," the voice said before ending the communication.

The Baron looked at the fire again. "You see, my dear Romulus, I've told you, everything is going according to plan," he said to the man who had quietly appeared beside him.

"But, your Lordship, what about the _Prophecy_?" Romulus said. "The _Book of Auz_ never lies," he added, a note of subdued anguish in his voice.

The Baron looked at him. "Superstitions, my dear Romulus. But, like I have said before, when the time comes, you can have your thrill. All is in place now. All we have to do is wait."

The Baron's eyes widened a bit as he stared at the fire again. "She will lead us directly to them, Romulus. Yes, we'll just have to wait."


	5. The Briefing

**CHAPTER FIVE: THE BRIEFING**

**_The hovercar _**flew fast and steady, barely floating above the gentle curves of the sand dunes. Night had fallen a long while agoandas Mirage looked up, she could now see stars shine in the crisp air. Lost in her thoughts, she had not spoken in a while. She looked from time to time at the Lieutenant who kept focused on the horizon, his face illuminated by the faint glow of the controls.

"We should be arriving at dawn," the Lieutenant said. "Pretty soon." He looked at her. "Look," he added, "I'm sorry about all this. I can understand you would not want to be dragged into this sort of nastiness. Believe me; none of us would want to. But this is where we stand, Mirage. We're holding on to the very short end of a long stick."

"And you're hoping to get a better grip with me in the picture?" Mirage answered, "I'm sorry if I sound sceptical…" She frowned at him. "I just don't like being used, that's all," she said, crossing her arms.

They were silent again. The Lieutenant had sensed Mirage's frustration, for he had noticed that every time he looked at her, she would turn her head away.

Time had gone byA barely audible beep caught the Lieutenant's attention. "The proximity beacon has picked us up," he said, pointing his finger to the navigation screen to show to Mirage. "We'll be there in a few moments."

Miragebecame interested again in the nature of their destination. "Lieutenant Thompson," she asked him, "we've been flying for quite a while now. I've been trying to get a bearing on where we are, but I'm lost. But I'm sure of one thing, this isn't Europe anymore. Or," she sounded hesitant, "did the climate change that drastically?"

"We're on the Australian continent, Mirage. And you're right about the climate," the Lieutenant answered. "Global warming made the Australian desert spread to every piece of land of the continent that the rising ocean had not covered, and turned them into a dry, barren wasteland. This is where we are now:" He waved his hand. "There is nothing around us, for thousands of square kilometres."

"The twenty-first century was a turning point," the Lieutenant added. "By the end of it, the world still hadn't got rid of its dependency on oil. The issue of global warming, even though its effects were undeniable, proven decades earlier in the twentieth century, was continuously pushed aside to put immediate economic interests first." The Lieutenant shook his head. "Promises, promises. They told everyone they were working hard to correct the problem. They sold the hope of a better, happier, cleaner future. And people bought it." He looked at her. "All political lies, Mirage, where money was more powerful than logic." Mirage saw the Lieutenant's hands clenching the control wheel harder. "And then, the wars came…" he said in a quiet voice. "There were just simply too many people around. "China and the United States went nuclear in august of twenty-two thirty-four, over one of the few tiny areas that still had oil outside of the Middle East. We're centuries later now and we're still recovering from that disaster."

"And the Supers?" Mirage asked him. "You told me they are hiding in the desert? Aren't they more exposed instead? There are probably satellites everywhere."

"Yes there are," the Lieutenant said. "But we manage to fool them in many ways… Cloaking devices, emitters that jam their sensors by sending false negative readings, you name it... Our group is invisible right now, but we're always on the move. Ishtaar, by the way, is just a nickname for our present location, it's an abandoned city built around an ancient refinery." The Lieutenant smiled. "Our enemies never come this way, as their sensors detect lethal levels of radiation." Mirage looked at him, alarmed. "Oh, don't worry, it's safe," he added. "There is barely any radiation, well, not more than anywhere else, and barely more than there was in the twentieth century. We're fooling their sensors. This is part of our cloaking strategy:We hide in plain sight, Mirage. Sometimes it's the best way to go." The Lieutenant smiled at her. "And judging by your record, you seem to know what I'm talking about."

The hovercar started decelerating. "We're here. Look ahead," he said. Mirage squinted as her eyes focused on the horizon.

Something up ahead, still a few kilometres away, seemed to spread before them like an endless wall. As they came closer, Mirage could now distinguish that the structure she had seen was actually a maze of rusted and decrepit steel conduits of all shapes and sizes, that ran from huge reservoirs linked to massive distillation towers. Some of them had fallen to the ground, crushing everything in their path. The refinery they flew towards looked as it had been abandoned centuries earlier. There was no one there to be seen.

"There it is, Ishtaar," the Lieutenant said. "It's an old twenty-third century heavy oil processing terminal. It's been abandoned ages ago. Ishtaar is just a take on an ancient Babylonian city whose name meant fertility and rebirth. We found that appropriate for our cause. We've been here for a year now. We just can't tell how long we'll be able to stay there though. It's just a question of time before they find us."

At first glance, the untrained eye would see the refinery deserted. But if one had a closer look, one would find it was not the case. For, from the top of one of the tallest structures still standing, someone had spotted the incoming hovercar.

A young boy cheered as through his binoculars, he saw the flying car approach in the distance. Leaning over the corroded edge of the guardrail of the cooling tower he stood upon, he yelled to catch someone's attention, who was waiting below.

"It's Jack!" he said, elated. "He made it!"

"Is he alone? Let me see," the person on the ground said. "Wait, "I'm coming up." It was a young girl who had said that. She was dressed in a fitting Super suit. Looking up, she bent her knees slightly and gave herself a small push.She then lifted off the ground gently, flying silently and gracefully,to reach the top of the tower and land beside the boy.

"Give me the binoculars," she asked him. As he did so, she focused her gaze on the horizon, stopping on a cloud of dust. She could see the chrome parts of the hovercar reflecting the sun light. "Yep, it's him all right," she said. She now turned her attention towards the passenger. "And yes, he's got her and…" She put down the binoculars as she frowned. "Yes, she is pretty... Very pretty indeed... Just as I expected," she added very dryly.

"I'll go warn the others," the boy said. But before the girl could say anything, his body became transparent and in a flash, it liquefied into a puddle of water that drained through the steel bars of the balcony. The liquid dripped to the ground. And as fast as he had transformed, the boy returned to his human shape. He smiled at the girl before dashing away.

The boy had reached what appeared to be a large pile of rubbish, made of rusted steel pipes, bent plates and worn out truck tires covered by desert sand. He waved his hand in front of one of the largest pieces of steel. It swung open, revealing a dimly lit passageway with steps going underground in a steep angle. He went inside immediately, the steel door swinging back to close behind him.

The stairs led to a long corridor. At the end of it, a heavy reinforced metal hatch was closed. Beside it, a small red light shined above a touch pad that had the shape of a hand drawn on it. The boy put his hand on the plate. The light turned green, and the door immediately slid open.

The boy walked into what appeared to be a command center that was shrouded in darkness. A faint bluish light revealed a few people sitting here and there, facing control panels with old, worn out buttons and small screens covered in dust that seemed to have had better days. The personnel in the room had a weary look on their face as they looked exhausted and beaten.

"General Vanderbeekien," the boy said, quickly and somewhat sloppily saluting the middle aged man he had addressed, "Lieutenant Thompson is back from the mission. He was successful, Sir. He's got her. They should be arriving in the compound this very minute."

"Great news," the General said. "Have them come here as soon as they arrive. We'll move on to the next phase of the mission."

The hovercar had reached the outer limits of the refinery. Slowing down but still going on fast, the Lieutenant expertly piloted the craft through a small opening, barely visible between a broken pipe and the remnants of a fallen tower. Flying inside for a few hundred meters, the hovercar then came to a halt in the middle of a small clearing.

"We're here," the Lieutenant said, shutting down the engine. "Welcome to Ishtaar," he said, waving his hand around. Mirage looked around her. She took a deep breath as she got out of the vehicle. The sand under her bare feet was burning already, even though the sun had barely risen. The Lieutenant had also gotten out. "You're going to meet the others soon."

Mirage stepped slowly away from the hovercar, looking around, intrigued by her surroundings. She had not walked a few metres that to her surprise, someone had flown out of nowhere to land directly in front of her, blocking her path.

It was the young girl who had witnessed their arrival. She did not look pleased in meeting Mirage, as she stared at her in a most aggressive way.

Mirage backed up instinctively as she saw her. The girl in front of her had all the characteristics of a Super: She had dark brown hair tied up in a pony tail, long and straight, that flowed over her strong shoulders that were visible through her pale coloured Super suit. She did not say anything.

"_Stupendous Girl_, how nice to see you," the Lieutenant said, as he addressed the mysterious person.

"Hey Jack," the girl said, walking up to him casually. "I'm glad to see you've made it." She quickly glanced at Mirage. "Nice catch. You were really successful, as I can see..." The lieutenant frowned as he looked at her sideways but did not have time to say anything as the girl cut him off: "The General wants to see you. We have to move on," she said. "The mission can't wait." And upon saying this to him, she kicked her heels and silently flew away. Mirage felt uncomfortable as she looked at the Lieutenant.

"I am so thrilled Lieutenant... The future seems so… intriguing. I can't wait to see more of it," Mirage said, in a very sarcastic tone. "Are all surviving Supers this hostile?"

The Lieutenant was about to answer her when he was interrupted. The young boy had rushed out to him.

"The General wants to see you both. Come, quick! We don't have much time, come on!"

They had reached the command center within a minute. As Mirage looked around her, she saw the other Supers in the room silently staring at her. Their Super suits appeared faded in the dim light. As he saw Mirage and the Lieutenant arrive, the General walked over to them.

"Miss Moresso, I'm so glad to see you unharmed," the General said as he held out his hand. "Welcome to our command center." He glanced at the Supers around him. "I would like to present you to the rest of our team a little bit later, if you don't mind. But I'm sure you already know who Lieutenant Thompson is by now. He is one of our best pilots."

The Lieutenant rubbed his temple as he remembered the gun pointed at it. "Yes, we've been introduced," he said. He looked at slightly annoyed with Mirage. "She was very happy to meet me. Just thrilled…"

A grave look had passed on the General's face. "Miss Moresso," he said in a quiet voice, "we do not have much time. Our situation is critical. Our resources are dwindling. We've been on the run too many times now."

He walked over to a flat table. A holographic display lit up over it, displaying a planet. Mirage could see it was the Earth, but climate changes brought on by human activity had drastically changed the visible coast line of all its continents. North America was barely recognizable as the ocean's water had risen.

Mirage now focused on the few faint red dots that were flashing here and there. "Those are markers telling known positions of other groups of Supers around the world," the General said. "As you can see, there are very few."

Suddenly, everyone in the room became gloomy. For just as the General had finished his sentenceone of the red lights blinked for a few seconds and then vanished.

"They fell," the Lieutenant said. No one spoke for a moment.

Mirage felt the blood in her veins become cold as she saw that. She looked at the Supers around her. "I'm here for a reason," she said. "I know Zordel wants something from me, and I know you do too." She walked over to the General. "As far as I'm concerned, this is still my future. If I can change it in any way, please, let me know. Tell me what I can do."

The General nodded. "We knew we could count on you." He turned around, to address someone that stood behind him, who wore an old laboratory coat. "Doctor Arliss, I think you would be more suited than me to tell our new arrival about our plans."

"Of course General, I would be glad to," the Doctor said, as he approached Mirage. He looked tense as he scrutinized her, his face having an expression of disbelief. He paused for a second, searching his thoughts. "Time travel," he finally said, "is such an incredible thing." He took one step closer to Mirage. "It's not everyday that you get to meet the daughter of the man who has destroyed the world…"

Mirage was mortified. "Doctor Arilss, please, I understand you frustration," the General said as he cut in. "This is not the time for the airing of grievances."

The Doctor bowed his head. "Yes, you are right." He took a deep breath. "Miss Moresso, as you now understand, you've been taken into our era because of your very unique situation. Like I have just said, you are the daughter of a most important man to us. Let me explain, so please, look at the next hologram."

The holographic globe vanished, to be replaced by the image of a strand of a DNA molecule. "Your father made incredible breakthroughs in sub atomic particle research," the Doctor added, as he pointed out to an area of the giant molecule. "The core of his research made possible the discovery ofthe elements that differentiates Supers form ordinary humans."

The Doctor looked at her. "It's all Genetics, Mirage. It all boils down to that. A Super is essentially just a special type of mutant, that's the easiest way to put it.

The Doctor went on "So, as our knowledge of science evolved though the centuries, so did our knowledge of Genetic engineering. We learned by leaps and bounds, able to cure almost every disease." The Doctor became sombre. "And we could also do more... As the Supers became Illegal in your time, the situation for them degraded through the years to become what it is now."

"Yes, I've noticed the government is not very keen on Supers," Mirage said. "But to hunt them down… This is madness."

"There is more," the Doctor said. "The government is responsible for one of the biggest lies in the history of our planet. In its efforts in trying to eradicate Supers, they developed a weapon. A special type of bomb, as we may call it that, a _Genetic Bomb_."

He sadly looked at Mirage. "We have reason to believe it has been designed by your father."

Mirage's face turned white. The Doctor went on. "They set off the device about thirty years ago. Its detonation generated a force field strong enough to spread over all the surface of the earth. That force field was designed for one purpose: to target the unique genetic patterns found in Super DNA. If they were found, the force field would basically rip the patterns apart, instantly killing the helpless person." The Doctor lifted a finger as to make point. "That was the intended plan, Mirage. But something went wrong. Terribly wrong. The detonation of the device did not go on as planned. Something was miscalculated... And instead of killing all Supers, those who were exposed to the rays were left with only a fraction of their original powers."

Mirage looked at the Supers around her. "For instance," the Doctor added, "Jack normally would have had been able to fly... But he is only left with the ability to create bolts of electricity and Zero Point force fields."

"Most of us were never exposed to the rays, Mirage. Our parents were. We've inherited their weakened genes," the Lieutenant said. "The government became desperate to hide the fact that they failed miserably in their attempt of getting rid of the Supers. They did not want to lose credibility, so they decided to spin the truth by telling the public that the Supers had detonated the bomb, with the intention of taking over the world by altering the ordinary human's genetic makeup, to render them totally helpless."

"I think I'm starting to understand where I come in," Mirage said.

The Doctor nodded. "There is another device Mirage," he said to her. "It is hidden, deep inside the vaults of the _Department of Information_. And Zordel wants to detonate it. He is a Super, Mirage. Very few people know this. By manipulating the bomb's mechanism, Zordel would eradicate all Supers. All of them, but not him... In fact, he would want it to have the opposite effect on himself. It would make him all-powerful. It would then become a question of time before he seized power. He would reveal himself to the world as an omnipotent Super, and the Government would simply have to comply with his every whim."

"And this is where you come in," the Lieutenant said. "The code that Zordel wanted is necessary for his plan to be carried out. And we know your father did not give it to him."

"And that is what you are going to do, Mirage," the General said. "With our help, you will find the missing code. We will then infiltrate the fortress where the weapon is located, find it, reprogram the genetic process and detonate it."

"Hoping to set things straight again, giving all Supers their powers back," Mirage said. She couldn't help thinking about her father again. Zordel never told her he had collaborated with him on such a device. With the truth still obscured, she wondered even more what had happened to him.

Mirage did not want to believe what she had just heard. "Did my father actually build this weapon himself?When could he have done such a thing?"

"Mirage," the Lieutenant put his hand on her shoulder. "We have reason to believe that your father was brought to this era by Zordel himself."

"He's alive then?" Mirage asked him, unconsciously hoping for the affirmative.

"We don't know," the Doctor said. "But everything points towards him having an implication in the construction of the device."

Mirage became sombre. "I know nothing of my father's work," she said. She looked at the General. "Zordel was trying to extirpate whatever secret he thought I held back, when Lieutenant Thompson came in and rescued me." She held out her hand. "I forgot to say thank you by the way, Lieutenant."

"Please, call me Jack," he said, as he shook it. Mirage smiled faintly.

"We know you do not possess the key we're looking for, Mirage," the General said. "But we know you can help us find it. We have reason to believe it is somewhere, hidden in your father's home laboratory. In your childhood house." He paused. "In your past, Mirage."

Upon seeing Mirage's expression of incredulity, the Doctor cut in. "Time, Mirage, is very flexible," he said. "It has elasticity, similar to a rubber band. It can take a certain amount of strain and still retain its shape. But, pull too hard, and it will break. So, there are certain things we can do when going into the past that will not affect the space-time continuum. For instance, walking in a field of daisies and crushing a few flowers as you crossed it, would not be an event that could upset the equilibrium." The Doctor looked at her. "But doing something as drastic as killing your own father would have implications beyond the scope of our imagination."

"This is the mission. We are going to send you back in time and space," the General said. "Back to the time of your childhood. You will find your father's study, and gather the necessary information and bring it back." The General felt sorry for Mirage, as she stood there, shocked by the idea that she would relive emotions that had now faded into distant souvenirs. "You have to understand, you're the only one who can find the key. Only by going back, will you be able to pick through every possible clue. Only you will be able to tell if something there is meaningful."

Mirage did not speak. "Of course, as this is a very delicate mission, you will not be going at it alone," the General added. "The Lieutenant will accompany you on your journey. He is our best pilot, and since our resources are limited, only two of you will be able to go."

"I'm very used to working alone," Mirage said, looking sideways at the Lieutenant. "Why would I need a pilot? I am one myself. Certified Class seven. I'm qualified to fly anything up to the size of a jumbo jet. No offence intended, Jack."

The Lieutenant smiled. "What is it with women and flying planes?" He asked. "The time machine is not on Earth, Mirage. That's the catch. It's located on a small planet on the outskirts of the galaxy. It's six hundred and fifty light years away for here. You'll obviously need some assistance to get there."

"A time machine consumes an incredible amount of energy, Mirage," the Doctor said. "It would have been impossible for us to operate it on earth without being discovered. Our machine lies near the equator of a small Class M planet on the outer edge of the galaxy. The Lieutenant is an expert in the field of interstellar navigation, he will get you there safely."

Mirage had forgotten for a second that the universe around her was totally different than her own. She had dreamed many times about the possibilities of space travel. She had never thought they would materialize, and if they did, never in such a way.

"We have to prepare for the trip," Jack said. He looked at the translucent dress Mirage wore. "I think you could appreciate a change of wardrobe. Something more fitting for a Super…"

The General agreed. "Yes Lieutenant. It's time to prepare. Doctor Arliss, I think our new arrival should go and meet Edna."

Mirage's eyes opened wide upon hearing the familiar name. "Edna? As in Edna Mode?"

"Yes, the very same," Jack said, "The most famous Super suit designer the world has known."

"You mean… She is _here_? Mirage asked, rather hesitantly. She knew of Edna, but by reputation alone. Mirage knew the designer had a difficult temper, being obstinate and prone to tantrums. Having her here in the future only added more fuel to Mirage's strange situation.

"She is here, but in the form of a hologram," the Doctor said. "The real Edna died centuries ago. She actually lived to be one hundred and twenty. She worked clandestinely all of her life, helping Supers. Our databases contain every thing we know about her. Our computers are very powerful, Mirage. With enough information, we can even recreate what is gone. We have created a replica of her. So, come," he said to her. "Let us go to the Development Area."

"I forgot to ask," Mirage said, as she followed Jack and the doctor out of the control room. "I know you possess a lot of data on individuals, but what do you know about me?" Mirage paused. "What about my…"

The Doctor cut her off. "Death?" He said. "We don't have that. You see, as you came to our era, your life has been altered: The space–time continuum has adjusted itself in consequence. The moment of your death still remains a mystery." Mirage was somehow very relieved to hear that.

They had walked down a dimly lit corridor, which led to a medium sized room. It was empty, except for two chairs in a corner. Its walls were polished steel, featureless. They vaguely reminded Mirage of the holding cell she had regained consciousness into. Jack and the Doctor sat down.

"Please, Mirage, could you stand in the center of the floor please?" the Doctor asked her.

She did so. As she waited, the room around her went dark. Jack and the Doctor disappeared in the shadow. A single ray of light, coming from the ceiling, enveloped Mirage. A voice then resonated in the room.

"It seems I have been called again... I hope whoever did so is worth it, my time is very precious," said the voice, in heavily accented English mixed with German overtones. Mirage looked around her, trying to locate the source of the voice. "Please do not move. How can I create a masterpiece, if you squirm all the time? Please, let the Artist focus."

Like a ghost, the hologram of Edna Mode came out of the darkness and silently walked up to Mirage. Mirage was stunned to see how short the designer had been in reality: the top of her head barely reached Mirage's waist. Edna stepped back, eyeing her next project.

"Well, well, how interesting," Edna said, as she slowly circled Mirage. "Oh yes, I see. Yes, very interesting. So, am I to assume you came here for a suit?" Mirage was unsure if she could answer. She looked at the men sitting away in the darkness. Jack motioned her to go ahead.

"Yes, I…" Mirage said, only to be abruptly cut off by the hologram.

"Yes, yes _Dahling_, I know what you want. It was just a rhetorical question." Edna frowned as she stepped back from Mirage. "Yes, I know. I know who you are."

And like a drill sergeant briefing a new recruit, she told her: "You are Mirage Moresso. You are a Super and that is very obvious Dahling, as you very much look the part… You are one of the few Supers who do no possess a secret identity. As you work behind the scenes, in darkness and secrecy, you have no need for it." Edna went on, her hands behind her back, still walking around Mirage. "But we live in an imperfect world. You are not a full fledged Super. You are in fact, half human. Your mother was a Super and your father, if I may say so, a mere mortal... But, fear not, for you still possess very interesting powers: You can see in the dark as well as most people can during the brightest of days… Your powers of Transmutation are very practical but obviously limited. And like all Supers, you are motivated by an unconscious quest, something that is more powerful than you are. In your case I could say that the disappearance of your father when you where a child is probably one of your main motivators."

Edna's tone of voice lowered. "It could also be related to the fact that your mother died a short time after your father had abandoned you both. The cancer that took her away was of the most unforgiving kind… I'm very sorry for that. Supers are not immortal, it is sad to say so. You desperately tried to save her but you failed, as your other power had not developed completely at the time. And how could it? You were just a child."

Mirage's eyes lowered to the ground.

Edna smiled. "I'm sorry if I sound harsh. But you are a _Healer_, Dahling. I can see it in your eyes. That is what I meant to say. A most rare and valuable power… Perhaps, the rarest of them all. You cannot be a bad person if you are a Healer. That is why I like you." She glanced quickly at Jack. "It's not like flying," she said. "That is so, mundane, ordinary…" Jack did not say anything, but he felt his fingers twitch as he stared at Edna. "And even if you still feel your powers not to be as developed as they could have been, they are still very, very strong. But like any skill, you must work at them, nurture them, and hone them, until they bloom."

Edna walked up to mirage and gently poked her in the stomach. "You are a Super, Dahling.Now stand still and I'll make you what you want. I'll make you a suit."

And as she said that, Edna backed away from Mirage, her hands waving around like a magician doing a trick. "You will become my latest masterpiece, Mirage Moresso…"

The light that engulfed Mirage turned brighter. Swirls of changing colours appeared in mid air. The deepest of purples, reds, blues, greens and yellows now floated around her in a soft and gentle spin. The colours became thicker, leaving a trail as they stretched, blending together like oils of different densities that would have been seen through a glass jar. Mirage was completely engulfed by the liquid light for a fraction of a second. Jack could not see her anymore.

After a short time, the moving lights suddenly slowed down and then silently faded away. They revealed Mirage, who still stood where she had been. As he saw her again, the Lieutenant's face lit up.

Mirage looked at her upper arms, to inspect the strange fabric that now covered them. The translucent dress she wore had disappeared. In its place, a multicoloured two piece suit made of thin but obviously sturdy material enveloped her body. It was perfectly adapted to her. The shark-skin like texture of the fabric shimmered in the light, making the colour swirls on the garment seem to change, depending on the angle of one's point of view. Jack looked impressed by what he saw and he let out a soft and discreet whistle. Mirage raised an eyebrow as she heard it.

"I think you will appreciate the uncovered navel," Edna said, pointing to Mirage's bare midriff. "Very comfortable. Very _in. Very Now... _You seem to have an appreciation for such a type of clothing. Remember, I can _read_ you, Dahling"

The lights had turned back on in the room. Edna went on. "Butnow, please bear with me as I explain the very important features of your new apparel… Your suit is customized for you and for you only. I have designed it to fit your specific type of approach to Super Hero work. So, what I have created for you is not bullet proof nor fire proof. First and foremost, your suit possesses an intuitive cloaking device."

But as Edna said that, she suddenly vanished. She reappeared, but a minuscule portion of her actual size, re-materializing on Mirage's left shoulder. Mirage was speechless as she could hardly believe she had now someone hanging on her shoulder, talking into her ear, not unlike her conscience. "The intuitive cloaking device, Dahling. One of my favourite tricks," the minuscule Edna said. "We live in a world where Supers are most undesired. You would not want to be caught wearing a Super suit. The Intuitive cloaking device enables you to either change the color of your suit to something that will not attract so much attention, or, if the need be, to be completely replaced by civilian clothes of your choice in a blink of an eye. All you have to do is wish it, Dahling." Edna held up her hand. "Now, please, try it for me Dahling."

Mirage was hesitant. She then looked at Edna and took a deep breath. Instantaneously, the colours of her suit vanished. She was now totally dressed in white. "It's amazing," she said.

"For the morphing with civilian clothes, you will be able to switch back and forth from your suit to whatever you are wearing at that moment. Molecular exchange, Dahling." Edna smiled, as she had returned to her full size. "But you will have to think about that, as your suit will not be able to create new clothes, it is just able to make an exchange with what you are wearing. If you only had your suit on and think too quickly, you might end up _au naturel_…"

Edna paused as she eyed Mirage. "You would still look fabulous by the way, Dahling. But it would not be practical… Where would you put your car keys? Anyhow, let us move on."

Edna's tone became sombre again. "Like I said earlier, we live in a world that is very hostile to Supers. It would be most useful then to further be able to hide one's true identity… This is why your suit is also equipped with a Genetic Marker Cloaking System. If confronted by the authorities, and this will surely happen as they are everywhere, their sensors will be fooled. You will pass for an Ordinary Secured Citizen, level one. But I must warn you. As sure as I am of my designs, they are not infallible. They could potentially fail without warning."

Edna seemed to want to brush off her shortcomings as she walked away, waving her hand. "So, just try to stay out of the police's hands and you are going to be fine."

"And now," she said, as she turned around, "the _pièce de résistance_. The suit I have created for you actually multiplies your powers ten times their original strength. It was hard to do that, by the way. But I'm very proud of it." Mirage could barely believe her ears. All of this seemed impossible.

Edna smiled. "I have taken this occasion to give you back your powers, by the way. The neutralizer they used on you very easy to get rid of." Mirage glanced at Jack when she said that. "And no, Dahling, I cannot fix their problem. It lies too deep within them. We need, how shall I put it? _Bigger guns.._."

Edna knew she had had an impact on Mirage. "That is all I have to say. So, go now. Test your suit. I have not told you everything about it, by the way... And be the Super you always were. You are a Healer, Dahling. I believe in you." And as she said that, Edna Mode slowly backed away from Mirage, and disappeared.

"We have to go," Jack said, breaking the silence.

Romulus sat on a small wooden chair set in an antechamber in the vicinity of the Crystal Cathedral. He sat in the dark, having only the faint light of a small candle to illuminate him. On the table in front of him, covered by an old stained tablecloth, lay an ancient record player. The device had a handle on its side. Romulus turned it a few times. The scratched and worn out seventy-eight rpm record started to spin. With a shaking hand, he put the needle on top of it. A scratchy sound was heard, resonating on the crystal walls. A shrill voice sang, happy and upbeat:

_We're off to see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz..._

Romulus held his knife as he listened to the song. Slowly, he pulled the blade on to the open palm of his left hand, cutting it open. He watched his blood ooze out.

He wept.


	6. Exile

**CHAPTER SIX: EXILE**

**_Jack and Mirage _**had wasted no time in getting ready. They had put in the hovercar a pair of backpacks filled with drinking water and high-energy food supplies. Mirage was already seated in the passenger seat, waiting on Jack who was still inside the command centre.

Stupendous Girl had unexpectedly walked up to her, apparently coming from nowhere. "So," she said, as she leaned against the edge of the door, staring into Mirage's eyes, "you're the one who's going to save us all, are you?"

Once again, Mirage had been taken back by the young girl's aggressive behaviour. "It seems that I have been selected," Mirage answered, in a calm, quiet voice. "Believe me; I hope I'll be able to help as much as I can… But to say that I'm here to save us all, I find that idea difficult to swallow."

"Well," the girl said, "if the shoe fits..."

Stupendous Girl did not say anything else for a moment. When she spoke again, it was to make her point very clear: "Jack is a good pilot. And he's a good man too... And I could see him falling for a woman like you." She frowned as she eyed Mirage, pointing a finger at her. "Listen," she said, her voice very dry, "if you hurt him in any way, I'm going to kill you." And as she said that, she flew away.

Mirage sat still in the hovercar, stunned by what she had just heard. "How wonderful," she said, sighing.

"That's it, we're off," the Lieutenant said as he had got into the hovercar and strapped himself in.

"Where are we going? Mirage asked him, not wanting to shed light yet on her recent conflict, unsure if it would have been appropriate.

"We're heading south, to the central spaceport. We'll find the ship we need there," Jack said, as the hovercar jumped forward, gaining speed as the Lieutenant manoeuvred the craft out of the ruins of the refinery and into the open desert. "The spaceport we are going to is the largest on the continent. It's one of the busiest places on earth, basically." Jack looked at her. "There is a lot of security there, Mirage. Lots of police checkpoints before we can reach our transport. This is probably the toughest part of the mission. If we succeed there, the rest will be a cinch. Now, let's just hope that the cloaking devices _Dame_ Edna has conjured for us do their job."

"There is no way for us to know, but by trying, Jack. We'll see," Mirage said, trying to sound confident.

"I have to admit," she said as she wanted to focus away from the potential dangers of their situation, "that I find the idea of space travel very exhilarating. What king of spaceship shall we be using?"

"I don't know," the Lieutenant answered.

Mirage was somehow alarmed by his comment. "What do you mean by, «you don't know? »"

"I mean, we don't have a specific ship… We'll just have to see what's out there and what's available." He turned to smile to her. "We're going to have to steal one, Mirage."

"Judging by your expression, it sounds like it will be very easy," Mirage said, discouraged. "And how will we do that? We'll just go onto the parking lot, choose whatever spacecraft is there, open the hood, jumpstart the engine and fly away?"

"Something like that," Jack answered, still grinning.

Mirage was getting tense. "In broad daylight, with hundreds of security guards watching our every move?"

"Oh, not hundreds, Mirage. Thousands," the Lieutenant said, very calmly. He turned to look at her again, as she had not said anything else. "It's going to be ok. Relax, Sister… Just trust me. Enjoy the ride. I think you should try to rest... You haven't had much of a break since we met."

"You seem to have a lot of different cards up your sleeve," Mirage asked him. "Is there anything else you can do that you haven't told me about, Lieutenant?"

"I can cook… I've got the meanest recipe for fried desert rat this side of the hemisphere," he said, his face with a deadpan expression.

"Lovely," Mirage said, half smiling, half repulsed by the idea. "You'll have to have me over for dinner sometimes."

Mirage settled back in her seat. The wind felt good in her hair

Mirage did not know how long they had been flying, the dunes of desert around them going endlessly by, all the same. She was suddenly startled by the sound of another hovercar that had flown past them. They had come out of the desert to fly straight into a busy skyway.

All around them, dense traffic flew fast. Mirage barely had the time to spot the name of their destination on a direction panel that was written in perhaps in dozens different languages, some totally alien as their alphabet resembled mysterious hieroglyphs.

A distant rumble attracted Mirage's attention. In the distance in front of her, the Delvius First Interstellar Spaceport appeared and like anything else Mirage had seen up to now, the terminal had colossal proportions. The twenty–four lane skyway they were flying on was actually one out of dozens of pathways that lead to the spaceport.

Mirage could not get over what she saw: It would have been impossible for anyone to imagine the sheer diversity of ships that were coming or going. They had all different shapes and sizes, from the smallest sleek and stylized two-seater hovercar to the largest, in this case an awkward looking mass of steel, perhaps millions of tons, floating immobile above the ground. That ship seemed to have neither a front nor a rear end as it resembled a cluster of metallic bubbles. It had been obviously designed for long range space travel, its bizarre shape due to the fact that the laws of aerodynamics were unnecessary to uphold in the vacuum of space. Some of the ships lifted off with the rumble of combustion engines, like missiles leaving a trail of white smoke, while others silently floated up to accelerate and disappear into the blue sky.

The hovercar came to a stop. Jack had found a place in the earth bound parking, where only vehicles unfit for space travel could park. "That's it," he said, "Showtime."

Mirage was about to disembark when Jack stopped her. "I think you should tone down your colour pattern," he told her, as he pointed out to her suit which still had its Super colour display.

"Oh, sorry," Mirage said. And like a chameleon, her suit colour changed to bright white.

They walked over to the end of the large parking lot. "We'll have to go through the terminal, they're on the other side," Jack said, very quietly. "The next shuttle will take us there."

They were waiting in line amongst other travelers. No one seemed to notice them. Mirage could not help looking around her, but she did that as discreetly as she could. She studied the faces of the passengers around her.

Apart from whom she had already met, Mirage had not had the occasion to be this close to the general population of the distant future she had been thrust into: The men, women and children around her stood quietly in line, not speaking. Most of them had a neutral expression on their face as they looked down, giving the impression they did not want to attract unwanted attention.

Mirage noticed that the small shelter at the beginning of the line had embedded flat screen displays that projected endless arrays of words and images. Mirage became more and uncomfortable as she read a regularly recurring message:

_Security Alert: The Delvius Spaceport Authorities remind you to be watchful for any suspicious activity. If you encounter a Super, please immediately report its position by using the nearest internal communicator located for your convenience everywhere in the spaceport._

Mirage turned her head away as the next message had an even blunter approach:

_Be safe! Be smart! Report all Supers!_

A shuttle had arrived, gliding silently to stop in front of them. As Jack and Mirage stepped in, a green light blinked briefly as they passed in front of it. Jack nodded discreetly to Mirage. No one spoke as they travelled towards the main terminal. Mirage still kept her head down, but her cautiousness could not stop her curiosity from making her eyes wander. As she glanced around, it took her great concentration to not let the amazement at what she saw become apparent: She was the witness to an absolutely mesmerizing variety of life forms cohabitating tacitly together, but with somehow, the same expression of sad resolve. Mirage could even see, in the myriad of blinking eyes that the strange anemone-like being that sat besides her had, an expression of quiet sadness but also of frustration, barely held back.

The shuttle glided to a stop as it had reached the terminal. None of the passengers spoke as they got out.

Mirage hesitated to move forward as she got out of the shuttle. Jack sensed her discomfort, so he took her by the hand, gently coaxing her towards the door. They both stepped inside.

Mirage felt a shiver go down her spine as she looked at the vastness of the terminal. But she had learned a long time ago to keep her composure in the face of unfamiliar situations. She straightened up and smiled at the Lieutenant who was waiting by her side.

"Well," she said to him. "Shall we?" Jack smiled.

"We have to reach one of the Level Three parking lots," Jack said to her, barely audibly. "This is where we'll find what we are looking for. But there will be a lot of security to go through before we can reach it."

Jack and Mirage barely spoke to each other as they crossed the terminal, walking determinately towards the first security area, trying to look as casual as they could, just two people eager to reach their destination.

As Mirage looked around, she now knew Jack had not been exaggerating the security level of the Spaceport. It seemed that everywhere she looked, cameras were visible, monitoring her every step: Some were placed on walls, others on top of support columns, but some of them also floated around here and there. Mirage was startled for a second as one of the monitoring devices had floated up to her, blocking her path. Its shape reminded Mirage of large soap bubble that could have had been made of some mysterious crystal. The camera floated for a second in front of her face, emitting a gentle hum. It suddenly blinked a few times to eventually turn green. It then flew away, already focused on another traveller.

"We will have to send Edna some digital flowers," Jack said, looking slightly relieved. But he tensed up immediately again as he nudged Mirage on the elbow, to show her what lay ahead.

They had reached the security checkpoint. Passengers had to walk through a small gate, stand still for a moment as they waited for a green light to blink, to be then waived to move on by heavily armed security personnel.

The guards were everywhere to be seen. They were tall, fit men with hard, impersonal features, their eyes barely visible from underneath their helmets as they gazed down at the travellers. They wore black full body armour, equipped with an array of telecommunications and detection devices. The arsenal of weapons they carried made it obvious that they had the power to subdue and arrest anyone, but also that they had the power to kill...

As Jack and Mirage stood in line, the sound of a scuffle attracted their attention. Farther down at another security gate, a pair of guards -one of them an android- were roughing up a terrified passenger. The android held a stick, similar to en electric cattle prod, pointing it at the traveller who trembled out of fear even more. The guards pushed him forward, towards an open side door. They disappeared behind it. Jack looked at Mirage. He slightly shook his head. Soon, it would be their turn to pass through the gates.

Mirage stepped in first, Jack looking on, as he tried to figure out the position of all security personnel around them, mapping out the sequence in which he would attempt to take them out of commission if something was to go wrong.

When he looked at Mirage, it seemed an eternity had gone by as she stood waiting for the light to go green. He let out an audible sigh of relief as it did. Mirage had a faint smile as she now waited for him on the other side. A moment later, they were both relieved as Jack had also passed.

They walked briskly again. "So far, so good," Jack said. "Now, all we have to do, is reach the spaceship parking area, and find ourselves a ship." He smiled as he looked at her. "And this is where your powers will come in handy, Mirage..."

They had reached the end of a long corridor. A sliding door was shut, and beside it, a magnetic keypad flashed. "This is our last hurdle before we can reach the ships," Jack said. "Could you do me a favour and cover me please?" Jack leaned his back against the keypad, holding up his wrist behind him, to put it close against the device. He anxiously waited, as his portable computer tried to hack its way into the central system to coax it into giving them the authorisation to go through.

"How long is this going to take?" Mirage asked him, getting nervous again, as the idea of them standing there and potentially attracting attention made her uncomfortable.

"One more minute," Jack said. "It can take a while to find the right combination."

Mirage froze. At the other end of the corridor, a pair of security guards had stopped as they had seen them. Looking briefly at each other, the security guards then started to walk towards Jack and Mirage's direction.

"We've got company, Jack," Mirage mumbled.

"I'm not done," Jack said, waiting for the door to open.

"They're coming closer," Mirage said, more pressing.

"Hold on."

"Jack," Mirage said again, her voice slightly choked.

Jack suddenly pulled Mirage closer to him. "I've got an idea," he said. "Kiss me."

"What!" Mirage said, surprised by the Lieutenants brashness. "I will certainly not!"

"Just do it, they're coming!" Jack said, urgently. "If you have better plans, please tell me now!"

Mirage hesitated for a second, unsure if she should push herself away. She took another look at the guards. Quickly turning again, she leaned forward and pressed her lips against Jack's.

The guards had stopped a few metres away from them. "Cute couple," one of them said. "What do you think?"

His partner, a thin and tall android, glanced briefly at the passionately kissing couple. "You know I don't get off on your kind," he said in a metallic voice. "Come on, just let them be." They then turned around to walk away.

Jack and Mirage were still kissing. "Can we stop now?" Mirage said, as she still had her back turned away from them.

"I'm not sure yet," Jack said, whispering as he gently held on to her, still kissing her. "Let's not take chances." The door behind them suddenly opened.

"I think it's safe now, Lieutenant. You can let go," Mirage said, in a soft voice.

"Are you sure?" Jack said, "Are you really sure? Because, I'm not sure."

"Yes, I'm sure," Mirage said as she gently pulled herself away. "The door's open. Let's go." They stepped on the other side. As soon as they did so, the door closed behind them. Jack then smiled impishly at Mirage.

"You see?" he said, grinning. "It works every time." Mirage frowned at him. "Now, let's find ourselves a ship."

They had been walking around for a few minutes, when suddenly, Jack stopped in his tracks. His eyes had lit up, as he looked at a peculiar vessel in front of them. "There she is, that's the one, Mirage," he said quietly.

Jack had not opened his mouth that Mirage had noticed it too: The spacecraft they looked at stood out of the others. The ship had sleek and refined features. It was rather small in comparison to the massiveness some others had, but still was much larger than a standard hovercar, more the size of a small twin engine plane. Even though it had been designed for space travel, its hull had smooth, aerodynamic features. What struck Mirage the most is that the whole ship seemed to have been moulded from one piece of material that resembled a ball of golden, melted glass that would have had been stretched into a delicate flattened teardrop shape.

Jack grinned as he turned to Mirage. "Ferrari," was all he said.

He became serious again. "Now, all we have to do is get inside. And that, will be your job, Mirage." She looked at the ship, instinctively looking for an opening of any kind, but she found none.

"I don't know how I'm going to be able to get in. I can't transmutate through anything solid."

"Are you sure about that?" Jack said, sceptical. "There are lot of things that changed about you since you got your powers back… And your suit… I know Edna likes surprises. She rarely tells all there is."

Mirage did not answer. It was as she suddenly realized that something had changed about her. She looked up, and focused her attention on the spaceship.

In a flash, a silvery halo enveloped Mirage and she vanished, leaving Jack alone. "Whoa," he said, visibly impressed by her superpower display.

Mirage had reappeared inside the ship, inside the rear living quarters. She gasped in surprise as she could not believe that she had succeeded. For the first time in her life, she had transmutated through a solid object. Edna had not told her everything, obviously. She remembered Edna telling her to always remain open to new experiences.

To her immediate relief, there was no one on board. Mirage quickly found the hatch mechanism and activated it. It opened, a small gangplank lowering to the ground. Jack walked in with a brisk pace, immediately shutting the hatch behind him.

He looked at her with the widest of smiles. "Now that, was very smooth," he said as he went directly to the cockpit. "You know," he added, turning around, "I'm starting to like you, Mirage Moresso…" She smiled.

"No one on board, just as I expected," he said. "Don't worry about alarm systems, they are all on the outside of the hull. The ship's security system wasn't designed to deter Transmutators like you."

Like the rest of the ship, the bucket seats and the controls of the small cockpit were sleek and luxurious. As Jack and Mirage sat down to strap themselves in, the controls and the seats adjusted themselves automatically to fit their bodies.

Jack flicked a switch, and the engines came to life in a powerful roar. The craft lifted off the ground to hover above it, gently oscillating left and right as Jack got used to the controls. The craft now floated above the terminal, slowly rising. Mirage could not help looking outside, still fascinated with the spectacle that the diversity of the ships that surrounded them offered.

"This is good, very good," jack said. "You know, I've always wanted to try one of these." Jack put his hand on the main engine control and pushed it forward. "Here we go. Let's see what she's got." Mirage did not say anything as she felt the g forces push her back in her seat, accustomed to this effect from her training as a pilot.

Jack punched the engine throttle further. The craft immediately obeyed, accelerating with a roar. Within a minute, they had reached the outskirts of the atmosphere.

Jack looked tense again. "Ok, so far, so good… I'm surprised we didn't get hassled form the…"

An electronic voice suddenly cut him off. _This is Delvius control tower to Aquiline Delta Three, we have not received your pre-approved flight plan. Please respond..._

"Damn," Jack said. "I was hoping they hadn't noticed us."

"Great." Mirage said, annoyed at the seemingly amateurish methods of the Lieutenant. "So much for being discreet."

_This is Delvius control tower to Aquiline Delta Three, _the control tower voice repeated, _your have not been authorized for free flight. Please return to your departure coordinates, turn off all engine power and prepare to be boarded._

"Lieutenant, I'm starting to hope you have a backup plan," Mirage said, alarmed.

"Sorry about this, but, no. Not really," Jack said, as he reached out to the intercom. "Let me handle this, hang on."

"Delvius control tower, this is Aquiline Delta three," Jack said, very hesitantly. "I seem to have very bad reception… Could you repeat your previous message please?" The Lieutenant leaned towards Mirage. "Just buying time," he whispered to her.

The voice coming from the control tower had a slightly more pressing tone. _This is Delvius control. Please state your personal identification._

"Could you repeat that, Delvius control," Jack answered, "you're breaking up. Sorry about that…You know, I had that transmitter fixed a week ago… I just don't understand…" Jack kept their craft flying straight out, heading now for the vastness of space.

For the second time in her life, Mirage felt her body become weightless as the ship had now left the Earth's gravity. They were now flying at an incredible speed, for within a minute they had already flown past the moon. Mirage had barely caught a glimpse of the satellite that it had disappeared behind them.

Jack had not resolved his problems with the control tower. The voice one the other end had now started to threaten them with a missile intervention if they did not turn back to land. Jack was still pushing for time, as they got farther and farther away.

"I'm going to need your help in setting the coordinates for our destination," Jack said as he handed a list of numbers to Mirage. "This is our destination. Punch these numbers in, I have to fly this thing... I'm afraid they might send drones after us."

"Drones," Mirage asked him, very worried now. "What are those?"

"You don't want to know."

Mirage started to enter the code sequence on the navigation screen to her left. She heard the Lieutenant swear as an alarm from a warning device now blared in the cockpit.

"Hang on," Jack said as he pulled hard on the controls, sending the craft in a sudden spiral, at a ninety degree angle from their previous trajectory. Mirage had barely the time to enter the numbers before Jack's manoeuvre made her lose the list. As soon as he saw the numbers entered, the Lieutenant pressed the _enter_ button. Just as he did that, two enormous missiles, coming from behind them, crossed the path of the spaceship, barely missing it.

"Jack, this is getting rather intense," Mirage said, as she gripped her seat, trying to keep her composure. "What are we waiting for?"

"Wormhole," Jack answered, as he struggled with the controls, desperate to shake off the incoming missiles. "We have to wait for it. Any minute now." The on board threat warning system blared even louder. "Any minute now," Jack repeated.

Suddenly, in the darkness of space in front of them, a flash of light became visible. Small at first, it expanded to what seemed a colossal size in comparison to Jack and Mirage's ship. The light had formed into a swirling maelstrom that spun slowly, its edges shredding away towards the darkness of space. Jack flew the spacecraft directly into its centre.

"This is it!" Jack cried out. Mirage gasped as she unconsciously grabbed the edge of her seat even harder. The ship had entered the wormhole.

Mirage felt as she had been taken on an out of control roller-coaster ride. It seemed to her that the ship had been put into a steep dive, accelerating far beyond what she thought was possible. The intense vibrations that shook the ship were so strong, Mirage thought they would tear the ship apart.

"Wormhole, Mirage" Jack said, above the noise created by the vibrating ship. Mirage noticed he had let go of the controls. "They are everywhere in space, you see, only in a different time-space continuum. All you have to do is find a way to summon the right one…" Jack noticed Mirage's unease. "Relax, the roughest part is over. Right now, everything is on auto pilot. We'll be coming out of this pretty soon. Oh, and by the way, if you haven't been in space, then may I suggest that you take a look, it's worth it. It's quite impressive."

And as he said that, the ship's dizzying trajectory instantaneously stabilized. The vibrations had completely ceased. It felt as they were completely immobile.

Mirage was stunned as she looked outside the cockpit window. They were in the vastness of space again, but nowhere near the earth. They had reached the outskirts of an unknown galaxy: Mirage could see it moving slowly in a gentle spiral, its core glowing from the massive amount of stars that it contained. As Mirage's eyes got used to the light, she could see more and more details inside the immense structure before her. Entire solar systems, were everywhere to be seen: Some had gigantic planets accompanied by minuscule asteroids that circled red giants - suns that had reached their maximum intensity in their life cycle - and some others were orbiting around white dwarves, stars that neared their death as they had consumed all of their fuel. The more Mirage stared out in the vastness around her, the more she could see myriads of other galaxies, everywhere. And even though she thought the turmoil they had left behind on earth somewhat tarnished her experience, she could not help feeling but privileged.

The Lieutenant took the controls again. "It's safe here. They can't track us through the wormhole."

"It's beautiful," she said. "I've couldn't had possibly imagined anything like this."

"Yes, very beautiful," Jack said. He had been looking at Mirage.

"What's the name of the planet we're going to, Jack?"

"It doesn't have one," Jack said. "We are still in what is mostly uncharted territory, which is an advantage for us. They won't be looking for us here... But we still have to be very discreet. The government is a force to be reckoned with, but I wouldn't want to fall into the hands of space pirates also."

"Space pirates?" Mirage asked him, slightly worried.

"Yes," Jack said. "Pretty much a common occurrence in our century. They are everywhere. If they would fall on us, there is not much we could do. They probably would kill me as they took over the ship, and you would be put into slavery," he added, very dryly.

"I think we should try to be discreet then," Mirage said, now even more eager to reach the planet.

Jack flipped a switch, preparing the ship for the next phase of their journey. "There it is, Mirage, our destination."

The ship flew towards what looked like a small grey dot that grew larger fast. They had now entered the outer orbit of a pale grey planet whose surface was completely obscured by slow moving clouds. Here and there, Mirage could see lightning bursting.

"We're going to enter the final descent stage, it's nasty weather, but it's high up. The whole planet is pretty much like a greenhouse. It's a tropical jungle down there," Jack said, as he manoeuvred the craft into the dense cloud cover. "Hope you like bugs and snakes, by the way…" Mirage did not answer.

The craft started to shake as it entered the upper atmosphere. The Lieutenant struggled with the controls as the strong winds battered the small spaceship. Mirage looked at the nose of the ship, which was turning bright red due to the high speed of their descent. And even though Jack had the described the planet's surface to be potentially uncomfortable and dangerous, Mirage now wished they had finally landed.

"So far so good," Jack said, his voice showing tension again. "I've set the coordinates to our flight path. We are on the marker." He frowned. "But there is something wrong with one of the stabilizers, though. It doesn't feel quite right. I wonder…" He glanced at the control panel.

He had barely laid his eyes on the central monitor that a flashing warning beacon lit up, accompanied by a dull but annoying alarm. A message blinked on the screen.

_Maintenance alert: Rear stabilizer hydraulic system pressure falling. Failure imminent. Emergency landing procedure enabled._

Both Mirage and Jack were mortified at what they saw on the small screen.

"Maintenance?" Mirage said in disbelief, "You stole a spaceship that needed maintenance?"

"Correction," Jack said, obviously annoyed by her remark, "we stole… I didn't see you complain about it."

"You told me to go inside the ship." Mirage was furious. "This is your era Lieutenant, how was I supposed to know that we chose a ship that would eventually fail us?"

"It's the luck of the draw, Princess," Jack answered, obviously frustrated.

Mirage rolled her eyes as she looked at the control screen. "Can you still land us safely?" She asked him.

"I'm trying." Jack said as he finally found the manual override to the landing procedure. "I've got the controls again, but things have gotten worse. I don't think I'll be able to take us down where I wanted to. Let me establish our position... Ok, we're not too far. But we're not there yet…" He gave a worried look at Mirage. "There is nothing else I can do. Hold on, we have to prepare. We're going to ditch... We're going to land straight in the jungle."

Jack and Mirage both looked ahead at the same time. They had burst through the upper cloud cover now. All they could see below through shards of thick fog was dense tropical vegetation, surrounded by enormous mountain ranges, their sharp peaks steep and snow covered.

"Jack…" Mirage said, as she looked helplessly on. They were still coming in very fast.


	7. Shadows in the mist

**CHAPTER SEVEN: SHADOWS IN THE MIST**

**_The spaceship_** ploughed through the trees. Like the blade of an axe, the wings of the craft sheared off the top of the tree trunks of the dense forest. Jack struggled as he tried to keep control, but to no avail: The ship collided with a much larger trunk that would not yield, ripping off its left wing, sending the craft spinning head over heels. It flipped over once, and once more, making everything that had not been tied down inside fly everywhere. The ship had hit the ground now, bouncing and skidding, carving its way through the dense vegetation. It finally came to a brutal halt, having splashed into the middle a small bog-like lake.

Mirage and Jack were both stunned by the force of the landing. Emergency sirens now blared in the cockpit, urging them to abandon ship. The sounds shook them up, making them realize they were not out of trouble yet.

"Are you okay?" Mirage asked Jack, who looked more dazed that she was.

"Yes," he said, nervously.

Mirage looked outside. The gentle swaying of the spaceship and the fact the cabin was now tilted on a steep backwards angle told her they had not landed on solid ground. "We're floating," she said.

They had both turned around as she had said that, attracted by the creaking metallic sounds that the broken ship's hull made as it was starting to fill with water.

"We're sinking fast. We have to get out of here," Jack said as he pushed himself out of his seat. He went behind to assess the damage. He came back very quickly. "We can't get out from there, it's flooded. We'll have to go through the escape hatch."

Jack went behind the cockpit. A ladder there lead to the ceiling of the craft. Climbing it, Jack pulled the emergency opening lever, unlocking a small hatch. As soon as it popped open, a blast of air rushed out of the ship. They were now sinking even faster.

He helped Mirage climb out of the hull. They both now stood on top of the angled ship which rumbled as it filled with water, slowly going down.

They looked around. They had landed into the middle of what appeared to be a deep marsh. Its edges, lost in a thick fog, appeared to be within reach but far enough that they would have to swim to safety.

"I can reach the edges, but I can't take you with me," Mirage said to Jack. "You're going to have to swim for it." Jack just nodded as he looked at the water.

In a flash of light, Mirage disappeared, then to rematerialize on the edge of the bog. She stood there, waving for Jack to come over, as she saw the ship had not much time left above the surface.

_What's taking him so long?_, she thought, as she looked at the Lieutenant.

Jack had not moved. He still stood on the wavering ship, looking at the water as if he had been entranced by a spell. The ship then unexpectedly shifted as it sank, making him lose his balance. He struggled to stay up, but he slipped on the wet hull and fell off. He came bouncing hard on the edge of the wing that still protruded from the water. He gasped in pain and surprise as he loudly splashed in the water, and he disappeared under the surface.

Mirage had witnessed the whole incident: She now looked at the spot were the Lieutenant had fallen, only to see bubbles coming to the surface. She waited for a second, expecting the Lieutenant to reappear, but he did not.

Mirage glanced at the sinking ship again. In a flash, she transmutated across the marsh to reappear back on the top of the hull. She desperately looked through the murky waters, trying to locate the Lieutenant. She could not find him. Not wanting to wait any longer, she dove in.

The hot, foul smelling tropical waters were mud filled. Mirage could not see a metre in front of her. She instinctively swam down towards were she thought the Lieutenant might have been. She frantically groped around her. She went deeper, trying not to panic, as her hands still had found nothing.

Suddenly, her right hand felt she had finally caught up with him, as she felt hair underneath her fingers. She instinctively grabbed on to it, not taking the chance of losing him again. She grabbed Jack's collar with her other hand, securing a better grip, surprised that the Lieutenant had not reacted to her grasp. With all her strength, she swam towards the surface.

As she broke the water, gasping for air, she realized to her horror that the Lieutenant had lost consciousness. She struggled to hold his head above the water as his body was completely limp, feeling like a dead weight.

The ship was sinking much faster now, and had only a few seconds left before going completely under the surface. Mirage had wanted to get away from it as soon as she could. She swam on her back, holding the Lieutenant's head above the water. She reached the edge of the marsh. Mirage pulled hard to take Jack's body out the water, as the marsh's border had a very muddy and slippery slope. She had finally dragged him to safety.

The sinking ship's final moments then caught her attention: The cockpit of the ship had lifted to an almost upright position. It stood above the surface for a moment, bobbing up and down, and then slid down in the dirty waters in a horrible, gurgling sound. A moment later, the waters of the marsh had returned to stillness.

Mirage stood on the shore, trembling out of fear and disbelief. She now looked at the still unconscious Lieutenant. She did not understand what had happened to him as she saw him hit the wing. He should not have had such a reaction…

She examined him more closely. She gasped as she realized the Lieutenant's fall into the waters had more serious consequences that she had hoped for: Mirage had looked down at Jack's left leg. As he had slipped off the ship's hull, he had bounced hard on the leading edge of the wing. This had badly broken his tibia, as Mirage could see blood oozing from an open fracture, through the torn fabric of his suit. Jack seemed to have regained consciousness as he shivered and moaned now, his eyes still closed.

Mirage's heart was pounding hard now. She looked again at the Lieutenant's wound.

"Okay, hold, on," she said. Ripping away the torn fabric of his suit, she could now clearly see the broken bone's edge coming out of the skin. She now knew she would have to do something immediately. Not having the Lieutenant's help in such a place meant certain doom for both of them.

Mirage kneeled besides the Lieutenant. She held out her right hand, outstretched her fingers and gently placed her palm on Jack's face. He reacted for a second, like he would have had been complaining, but he then fell unconscious again. Mirage knew that her particular power could have a hypnotic, almost anaesthetic effect on whoever she applied it. But she also knew its effects would be short lived. She quickly moved to Jack's feet. She then grabbed the broken leg, lifting it up.

"You're going to have to forgive me for doing this, Lieutenant," she said.

Mirage leaned back, holding Jack's foot. Giving a sharp pull, she forced the broken bone back into position, trying not to cringe at the cracking sound it made. She put his leg back down on the ground.

Mirage kneeled besides him again but this time to focus her attention on the open wound. She held her hands open in front of it, fingers spread. She took a deep breath.

As she did that, a golden halo enveloped her hands. The radiation then spread over the gaping wound. Mirage breathed deeply, totally concentrated on the task at hand.

In a moment, the wound in Jack's leg had stopped bleeding. The scar thinned out, and disappeared completely. Mirage wiped the remaining blood away. There was no mark to be seen. Relieved, she sat besides him. She took his hand, waiting silently. The glow around her fingers faded.

The Lieutenant opened his eyes after a moment. He seemed pleasantly surprised to see Mirage looking over him, a kind expression on her face. He smiled at her as he then realized she held his hand.

"Where… Where were you all my life?" he asked her, weakly.

"Somewhere else," Mirage said softly, obviously relieved. "How do you feel?"

"I'm okay, I think," Jack said, although still unsure about what had happened exactly.

Mirage had a sigh of relief. "You know," she said hesitantly, "that for a moment, I thought I had lost you, Lieutenant..."

Mirage helped him sit up. "I don't understand, Jack... What happened?"

"It's the water, Mirage," he said. "It's my weakness. I can't…" He hesitated. "I can't swim. Water drains my powers. Too much of it, and I collapse. I'll sink like a rock."

Mirage raised an eyebrow. She put her hand on his shoulder. "Why… Why did you not tell me this?"

Jack acted aloof. "Nah," he said in a dismissive tone. "I guess it slipped my mind."

"Men…" Mirage said, rolling her eyes.

He looked flustered. "Hey," he said. "All Supers have weaknesses, you know. What's yours by the way?"

"I'm half human," Mirage said. "And that's enough."

Jack got up slowly, wavering a bit as he stood up. He rubbed his leg and gave Mirage an astonished look.

"You know, but… I feel… Fine," he said, as if in a drug induced daze. "Actually, I feel very, very, good." He put his hand on her shoulder as his legs were still wobbly. "I think you just saved my life, Mirage Moresso…" He seemed to have trouble speaking. "Thank you. You're quite a gal… I like you a lot, you know?" He smiled. "Hey, that makes us even now."

Mirage smiled. "It's one of the side effects of my healing powers. They should dissipate pretty soon. And by the way, I wasn't counting," she added in a slightly reproaching tone. "Like I said, I wish you would have told me about this."

He sighed as he looked at the marsh where the ship once had been. "It's sad," he said, "I really liked that ship."

He glanced at the portable computer on his left wrist. "According to my GPS marker, we are about three days away in walking distance from our destination. There's nothing for us here, now. Might as well be on our way."

"But what about getting back?" Mirage asked him. "We've lost the ship. How are we going to return to present time Earth? I don't dare think we have to return here after the mission." She looked around, "It would be most unpleasant..."

"No, we're very fortunate," Jack said. "We can calibrate the machine to store enough energy to take with us for a return trip back to our time, but also back to a place of our own choosing. I'll program it to return us to our city. The machine will be strained, no doubt about that."

"Then let's be on our way, shall we?" Mirage said, as she had started walking with a brisk pace in the direction Jack had pointed to.

Only as Mirage had stepped inside the thick jungle that bordered the marsh that she became aware of her surroundings: She and Jack had landed in the densest of forest Mirage had ever seen: All around them, gigantic trees -almost pre-historic in their appearance- grew everywhere, shrouded in a hot and sweltering fog. A slippery moss covered the soil Mirage and Jack walked on, as they struggled to move forward, their path blocked by vegetation that had sprouted everywhere. The foliage had grown out of control and seemed menacing, as some of the plants leaves looked as sharp as razor blades, and others, prickly as cactuses. Mirage looked up at the canopy of the trees, listening. They were surrounded with life. The more Mirage's ears became accustomed to the sound of the forest, the more she heard: A bird in the distance. The chirping of what could have been on Earth an extremely large cricket. The snapping of a twig, the rustlings of leaves, and not too far from her, the sound of something slithering below the bush.

Mirage remembered the island of Nomanisan. It had looked like paradise in comparison to where they were now.

"Mirage, hold on," Jack said, trailing behind her. "It's getting darker." She stopped to wait for him. "You can still see far ahead. Can you tell me anything about what's around us?"

"There isn't much there," Mirage said, as she glanced around. "Only shadows, in the mist."

"I would advise you to stay with me. This place is not very friendly," Jack said, as he had approached her.

Mirage seemed reluctant to heed his word of advice. She walked on, leaving the Lieutenant trailing behind her. "I seem to have the advantage right now, Jack. Just tell me where to go," she said.

Jack warned her again. "Look, this is not the time to be brash here, but I can tell you this, you don't know what you're up against right now…"

Mirage halted and turned to him. "Lieutenant, I'm fine. I know what I'm doing... I'm familiar with jungles. I'm not an amateur, you know. I'm not going to start wandering around and touch everything I see. Like I said earlier, I have the upper hand, here. So for once," she said as she crossed her arms, "Just tell me the GPS direction and we'll be on our way…"

She had not noticed the slithering vine that was silently creeping towards her. The tentacle-like appendage froze for a second as it came in contact with Mirage's foot. It did not move for a moment.

And then, with blinding speed, the vine wrapped itself around her ankle. Mirage screamed, as she was violently pulled off her feet, crashing face forward to be then dragged towards a large, prickly bush behind her. Jack stood where he was, totally petrified by surprise.

Mirage screamed again as the plant that had grabbed her had now lifted her completely off the ground. She stood suspended in mid air by her ankle and the tentacle had brought her to hang above the base of the very large plant it seemed to belong to.

Jack had rushed towards her but he suddenly stepped back, to avoid being caught in the grasp of other vines that had sensed his presence. The tentacles groped around blindly on the ground, trying to find their next prey.

"Jack!" Mirage cried out, terrified. To her horror, the plant below her had suddenly opened: It had split in half to reveal an enormous open mouth. It seemed to salivate, as an acrid, viscous ooze flowed abundantly, covering the myriad of small worm-like tentacles that lined its insides. As Mirage struggled to try to free herself, more vines whipped out, to wrap themselves around her body, making her escape even more impossible.

Mirage panicked even more as she realized she could not transmutate to safety. Terrified, she now knew her transmutation powers were still rendered useless by being in contact with a sufficiently large living organism.

Jack had assessed the situation and quickly knew what to attempt: He pointed his finger at the base of the carnivorous plant. A bolt of electricity came out of his hand, and struck the ground. The plant jerked and contracted, visibly hurt by the electric shock, but Mirage had been affected by the bolt also. That made Jack change his plans.

He stepped forward and stamped hard on the ground. In an instant, the threatening vines rushed out towards the source of the vibration he had caused. He pointed his finger again. This time, a bluish halo came out of his hand, enveloping the vines. As soon as he had captured them, Jack yanked his arm hard away from him. The plant emitted a deep, gurgling shriek as its hunting appendages were ripped out of the ground.

The plant had now drawn Mirage into its gaping mouth. She felt the plant's mouth slowly close on her, the small, cold tentacles grasping at her skin, pulling her down towards the belly of the monster that held her.

"Hold on," Jack screamed, as he had approached the edge of the plant's mouth.

"Jack!" Mirage yelled. "Get me out!"

"What do you think I've been doing? I'm trying, damn it!" the Lieutenant said, as he frantically looked around the base of the large vegetable. "I can't use my powers, I'll fry you if I try…"

The Lieutenant paused for a second. He had just noticed that the plant he had been fighting with had been growing on the side of a steep rock covered slope. As he looked down, he could see the plant grew on a large stem, coming out of the ground below.

Jack did not wait a second. He tumbled down, crashing to a halt beside the exposed base of the plant. He got up, to create immediately a zero point energy force field aimed at it. With all his force, he yanked his hand outward. The force field he had created ripped the root of the plant right off the ground.

The monstrous vegetable shrieked again as it had been mortally wounded. It wriggled and twisted on itself, its severed stem spewing a foul smelling, pus like liquid.

Jack had climbed back just in time to see the dying plant spit Mirage out. She now lay on the ground in a pool of fluid, the plant behind her deflating slowly, expiring in its own foulness. The vines that held Mirage had now loosened.

Jack helped her to get untangled. "I've told you to wait up," he said. "This place is really dangerous. You just shouldn't trot out like that. We need to stay together around here." He looked at her, nodding his head reproachfully. "Well, at least, you're not hurt." As he got closer, he suddenly lifted his nose at her. "Whoa, I'm sorry to say this, but, Mirage, you don't smell very good right now…"

"I hate you," Mirage said, as she pushed the last dead vines off from herself.

The Lieutenant seemed unfazed by her comment. "No you don't," he said, "You actually like me, but you'll never dare admit it…" Mirage's face was turning slowly turning livid now. "Oh, yes," he added in a sarcastic tone, "_Princess_ Moresso can't like anyone... It's that 'I'm a Super… I work alone' thing…"

Mirage burst out at him. "Lieutenant," she said, exasperated, pointing a finger at him, "you… are the most pompous, cocky, foolish, immature, crazy, suicidal lunatic I've ever met!"

"I'm a nice man, I know, thank you very much," Jack said with a wry smile. "You forgot to mention that I'm an excellent pilot," he added with a cocky smile.

"You are calling what we've been through flying?" Mirage said, amazed at his audacity. "I would rather call it falling with a lot of luck".

Jack was obviously ticked off by her comment. "You… Are so… Difficult, you know that? You've been a major pain in my lower side ever since the moment I was assigned to you." He frowned at her. "I should have reconsidered and left you with Zordel…"

Mirage looked outraged. "How dare you say I'm difficult?" she said. "How dare you say this to me?" She crossed her arms, glaring at him. "I am now regretting saving your life earlier also," she said, still snapping at him. "I should have let you drown… It would have been a service to both of us."

"Of course it's not important that you would have had become plant food by now, if it wouldn't had been for me," Jack said.

Mirage raised her chin in defiance. "I had everything under control," She said. "I would have been perfectly capable of getting out by myself. I was just about to succeed when…"

"Mirage, your suit…" Jack said, unfazed by her angry comments as he had pointed out to her suit.

"What!" She yelled.

"Mirage, you should control your emotions a little bit more." Jack said with a smile. "Your suit… It's glowing right now…"

Mirage was embarrassed as she had now noticed. The glow from her suit had been strong enough to illuminate the small part of the forest they were in. It had started to attract a myriad of nocturnal insects, which now buzzed about Mirage's head. She suddenly jumped as a very large moth, attracted by the light, came flying in from the darkness to bump her straight into the face. Jack laughed.

Mirage suddenly felt as she had been beaten. She slowly kneeled, to sit on the ground, staring at the darkness in front of her. The glow of her suit had faded. She held back tears.

Jack had come up to her. He kneeled down, to put his hand on her shoulder. "You're safe," he said quietly. "And that's what really counts. We're going to be okay. We just have to be careful…" Jack looked around. "I don't think we should move during the night. There is a small clearing right over there. I think we should camp. I'll make a fire. It will keep the nasty stuff away... We needn't worry about the moths. They are annoying, but harmless." Mirage agreed to that.

They were on the move again at the crack of dawn. Following Jack's GPS device, they walked slowly through the dense vegetation, stopping only at nightfall. The forest was unyielding: Jack and Mirage lost count of the number of times they had to go through wet, waist deep marshes that they could not find other ways to cross. The deeper the water was, the weaker the Lieutenant became. Mirage supported him as much as she could, always relieved when they reached dryer land.

Mirage had never complained to Jack about the dreadful conditions they were in. She did not want to diminish the fact that he also had been relentlessly optimistic about their situation. She admired that he seemed totally unaffected by what was going on. It was to Mirage as she needed his optimism, for as time went by, and their struggling in the forest having no end in sight, she had more and more difficulty resisting the dreadfulness of despair.

They had been walking upward for quite a while now. It suddenly dawned on Mirage, reviving her hopes, that the oppressive humidity and density of the jungle had faded a bit as the trees and vegetation around them had become thinner, and the ground dryer and more firm. The fog had also lifted partially, enabling them to see further ahead. Jack walked quietly besides Mirage, and he had noticed the improvement also. Coming upon a clearing, they suddenly stopped, freezing in their tracks. Looking ahead, they both saw it at the same time: They had reached a path.

There was no doubt to be had over the fact it had been intentionally built: The trail was paved with cobblestones, all even and meticulously placed. The small paved road snaked away from them to disappear in the surrounding trees farther ahead.

"We're almost there, Mirage," Jack said, relieved. "This path will lead us directly to the machine. It's higher up in the mountains. The worse is behind us now."

"It looks ancient," Mirage said as she looked at evenly worn out stones. "Did humans build this?"

"No," he said. "It was built before our first exploration team came here. We have no idea who did this... It stops at the base of the mountains. Where the machine is now."

"Follow the yellow brick road," Mirage said lightly, as they headed forward.

The vegetation around them disappeared completely, leaving bare rock, after they had been walking up for a few hours. The altitude air had become brisk and a cold wind blew from time to time, sending shivers up Mirage's back. Night had fallen long ago. Lamps, erected here and there on the edge of the walkway, gave off a faint bluish light. Upon looking closer at one of them, Mirage noticed they were actually tall, luminescent mushrooms, as old as the path itself, gently and gracefully arched above it.

After climbing even more, the thin atmosphere beginning to slow down their pace as they struggled to breathe, Jack suddenly came to a halt. He looked relieved. Pointing up, he showed to Mirage that the path they were on ended just a few hundred meters away from them. It had led to a closed massive bronze door encased in the side of the mountain. Besides its frame, a familiar hand recognition keypad glowed.

"We're. We made it. All we have to do is get inside," Jack said, slightly out of breath.

They had reached the door. Jack had stepped in front of the keypad. He put his hand on it, waiting anxiously for the door to react. As nothing happened for a few seconds, Mirage and Jack were becoming worried. But before panic had set in, they suddenly heard the rumble of heavy mechanical parts being set in motion behind the stone walls. The door opened, and a rush of warm, stale air blew out. The opening led on to a long, darkened corridor. Jack and Mirage stepped in.

They were walking straight into the steep mountain side. Having gone forward for a few hundred metres already, they were engulfed in total darkness now. If they turned around, only Mirage could see the door's opening, as a faint dot of light. They walked with assurance, Mirage clearly seeing that there were no obstacles to avoid.

They had reached another door now, closed like the first one, with another keypad besides it. Jack put his hand on it. Once again, they waited a moment before the rumble of the opening mechanism was heard. Mirage had stepped back as the door had opened, astounded by what she could now see before her.

The door lay on the edge of an enormous cavern. Its walls were bare rock, carved directly from the mountain. But what stunned Mirage the most was that a large pyramid had been erected there and like the cavern around it, the pyramid had colossal proportions.

Jack and Mirage stood on a small platform from which stone stairs led to the base of the pyramid, way below. Having nowhere else to go, they started walking down. Mirage guided Jack as he could not see. The steps having no guardrail, he could have had fallen off easily, to certain death.

"There is a light source we can activate," Jack said. "Somewhere around here, it should be on a keypad."

Mirage had already found a small pedestal with a human hand drawn on it. She put her palm against it. The ground shook slightly as the rumble of machinery resonated on the cavern's walls. Mirage had activated the pyramid's systems. The structure had started to glow with a warm yellow light that slowly had started to fill the whole room. Jack was impressed as he could now actually see the cavern they stood in.

"This is it, Mirage, our own time portal," Jack said, talking loud above the sounds of the machinery. "We wouldn't have been able to do this back on Earth. It would have taken too much energy." He looked up. "It's the pyramid, Mirage... The ancient Egyptians were on to something when they built them. We still don't understand what it is, but it acts as a power concentrator."

Jack took Mirage to the edge of the pyramid. It had an opening in the middle of its side, leading to a chamber directly in its center. It was an intensely lit area, its highly polished walls reflecting the brightest of white light. Jack walked to a control panel embedded in one of the walls. He quickly manipulated its virtual controls. As soon as he did so, Mirage felt the chamber they were in fill up with static electricity.

The air started to crackle as sparks flew out of nowhere. Jack and Mirage had stepped back, looking at the center of the chamber. The electrostatic charges seemed to converge towards it. A sphere of light had now materialized, growing in size as the bolts of electricity came into contact with it.

"We're almost ready, Mirage," Jack said as he grabbed her hand. The sphere had stopped growing in size, being large enough to let them both in. It now hummed loudly. The violent electrical charges had stopped.

"Come on," Jack said. He and Mirage walked over. Jack put his hand on the sphere, making a door silently slide open.

Mirage looked in. The sphere's insides were bathed in a warm light. It had two comfortable seats and on the opposite end of the door, a small control panel. Jack hopped in, Mirage in tow.

As soon as they had settled in their seats, the opening sealed itself. Jack had not touched anything and Mirage felt the sphere jerk forward. She grabbed her seat, as she suddenly felt the sensation of falling, faster and faster, in a similar fashion as when they had jumped through the worm hole.

The sphere shook more and more as they accelerated. Mirage tried not to mind the discomfort she felt as the sphere ripped through space and time. Jack pointed to the walls of the sphere. They had become translucent, and once again, the vastness of space visible beyond them stunned Mirage by its magnificence: As they traveled through hyperspace, she could see galaxies stretching, as if being made of rubber, their white light separating into its full spectrum, a rainbow of colours, from red to blue.

Suddenly, it felt like they were slowing down. Mirage thought that for a second she had been able to catch a small glimpse of a planet that she knew could not had been any other than the Earth. But they were still moving so fast, that when Mirage blinked and opened her eyes again, she could not see star filled galaxies anymore. Mirage's heart raced, as she could now see that they had reached their destination: Daylight now flowed through the sphere's transparent walls. Jack and Mirage had landed in the middle of a field.

"Come on," Jack said, reaching out to Mirage who looked slightly stunned.

The sphere's door had slid open. Mirage held her breath for a moment, before inhaling deeply. The air was cool and refreshing. She stepped out to put her foot on the soft ground. She had not been dreaming this: The time machine had brought them into the middle of a grass covered knoll filled with wild flowers, surrounded by large trees that had leaves floating in a gentle breeze. The mid afternoon sun that shined felt good as its rays warmed Mirage's skin. Not a sound was heard, except for the chirping of birds amongst the rustling of the leaves.

"Welcome home, Mirage," Jack said.


	8. The Return

**CHAPTER EIGHT: THE RETURN**

**_The breeze _**felt refreshing. Mirage had walked a few steps down the hill and still could not believe her eyes.

"I know this place," she said, her voice chocked by the emotion. "I know where we are." She glanced at the road down below. "My parents and I drove by here many times…" She looked at Jack, amazed. "My house, Jack. My childhood home. I… I can't believe it."

"I know we're a few kilometres off target, Mirage," Jack said. "The on board computer always chooses a destination which will cause the least space-time continuum disruption. That's why we landed here."

Mirage did not seem bothered with the idea. "Well," she said, "We are going to have to walk over there. I see no other option."

She started down the hill, but she suddenly stopped in her tracks. Looking back at Jack and the time travel sphere, she realized they were not ready to walk simply to her house.

"Jack," she said. "We just can't go into the village and to the house looking like we do. We'll attract too much attention. It could get us in trouble." She looked down at her Super suit. Mirage and Jack had spent the last few days wandering in a sweltering alien jungle: They both were mud covered, bloodied, scratched, thirsty, hungry and tired.

"We'll have to find some civilian clothes. And shelter," Jack said. "We're still far from the house. We'll have to walk over there, and it will probably be dark by the time we arrive."

"Yes, better wait until tomorrow to go to the house," Mirage said. "It will be easier for us then."

Mirage had been secretly hoping for a break in their mission. The emotional impact of having returned to this place made it necessary. She had been very keen on bathing and changing, but as she thought more about their situation, she became gloomier.

"Jack," she said, "How are we going to find clothes? We can't use our suits to transform into civilian ones. We have no money, no specific place to go." Mirage had a hint of exasperation in her eyes. "I can't stay like this, Jack. I _need_ to bathe…" She pulled up her nose at him. "And so do you, by the way."

Jack smiled. "Relax, sister," he said. "I have everything under control."

"I've heard this one before," Mirage said, sceptical.

Jack reached into the sphere. As he pulled out his hand, Mirage was astounded to see it held a thick pile of money. "The sphere doesn't have enough energy to replicate clothes for us. So, here's the next best thing." He handed the stack of bills to Mirage. "Non sequential, unmarked, small bills. Oh, and they are real, also."

"There's enough here for us to live like royalty for weeks," she said, amazed.

"We'll have to blend with the locals," Jack said. "That's part of the mission. We have to be as invisible as we can. The past is flexible, but we should try to keep it as undisturbed as possible. I'm going to need your help for that."

Jack stood beside Mirage and took a glance at their surroundings. "It's beautiful here," he said. "You were lucky to be have been born in such a place. They've succeeded in making the world a crappy mess by my time."

He started to walk down the hill. He turned around and outstretched his arms. "This is your territory, Mirage. Aren't you going to show me around?" he asked.

"Jack," she said. "What about the sphere? We can't leave it in the middle of the field like that. Someone will find it."

"Oh, yeah, you're right. Hang on." Jack put his hand on the machine's hull. Suddenly, the sphere became transparent and then completely vanished, emitting a crackling sound for a second. "Relax, it's still here," Jack said, as he saw Mirage's worried expression. "I just sent it ten minutes ahead into the future. Whoever walks by will be always ten minutes too early to see it. Best trick in the book."

A gust of cool wind went through their hair. Jack smiled and held out his hand to Mirage. "Well," he said, "It's time for us to move. Shall we?" Mirage liked his eagerness. She smiled as she took his arm.

She took a deep breath. "Let's go," she said.

They walked on the edge of the small gravel road that led to the village. Bordered by tall trees, it snaked through low hills and lush, green valleys that were filled with fruit trees, grape vines, and ripening vegetables. Here and there in the distance, quaint farm houses completed the quiet scenery.

Jack and Mirage walked quietly, each absorbed in their own thoughts. They had the reflex to step off the road and hide from any incoming traffic. Jack seemed amazed at everything he saw: He had jumped in surprise earlier, bewildered by the sight of a passing car. "A gas combustion engine, Mirage," he said. "I can't believe it. The only ones I've ever seen were in holograms... They vanished centuries ago as the world ran out of oil. I can't believe people started slaughtering one another for that messy gook." Mirage realized she would have to keep the Lieutenant from being too excited about their trip in the past as his enthusiasm and curiosity were bound to attract unwanted attention. She would have to keep an eye on him.

As they marched on, Mirage realized her adventure had exhausted her. The whole ordeal she had gone through had been above all, nerve racking. She still felt on edge, but her anxiety seemed to be fading as the hours in this comforting environment passed. As unnatural for her to be there as it might have been, she realized she felt safe for the first time in quite a while. Mirage knew she could let her guard down a bit now.

"There is very small hotel on the outskirts of the village." She said. "First things first: We will settle down there for the night, and I will find us some clothes. I should be able to find what we need in the local general store. Not much choice there, but enough." She pointed her finger at Jack. "And you, sir, your orders are to take a bath. You can take a bath can you?" she added, thinking of Jack's weakness regarding water.

"Bath, yes I can. A pool, not a good idea," Jack said. He looked at her. "You know this goes for the both of us. You have to agree, I think you've seen better days, Mirage." She frowned at him.

The road they followed had let them to a small village. A typical scene in the quiet south of France, it was a sleepy group of houses with vine covered white facades and wooden shutters. The dry streets, nearly empty, baked in the hot summer sun. Jack and Mirage had reached the town's square. In its centre, a small fountain trickled. No one there seemed to take interest in the two strangers walking by, as they stared at them for a moment, only to resume whatever activity they were doing.

Jack and Mirage had crossed to the opposite side of the village. "There it is," Mirage said, pointing to the only inn available. Mirage turned around. Jack was not beside her anymore. He had stopped a few meters behind, to study a public phone booth. He looked hypnotized by it. Mirage quickly ran to him and pulled him by the hand. Jack said he could not believe that you had to _dial_ someone's number in order to communicate with them.

The old lady behind the counter was at first surprised in seeing two strangely dressed and rather unkempt visitors requesting separate rooms for the night. But when the young white haired woman told her their car had broken down on their way to a costume party, it all made sense to her, as city folk often brought with them their strange customs and clothes. But if those customers were willing to pay hard currency, she found it even more interesting. She gave them their keys. Jack gave Mirage a coy smile as he had noticed how fast Mirage had asked for separate rooms. The old lady had smiled at him also, nodding silently.

Even though the old building had only four floors, it still had the luxury of being equipped with an ancient and slow elevator that creaked as it crept up. Jack and Mirage had to squeeze in its cramped cabin, closing behind them the steel safety curtain that acted as a door.

They now stood in front of their respective bedrooms that faced each other at the end of the narrow corridor. Mirage handed Jack his key.

"Jack," she said. "This is yours. Please don't be offended, but, like I said, take a bath and wait for me. I would advise you not to go anywhere without me, also." Jack wanted to reply but she cut him off. "I know this past is far less hazardous than your times, Lieutenant, but we don't want to get noticed. We are already taking too many chances." Mirage showed him the pile of bills. "I know where to go and I know what we need," she said. "I'll be back in about an hour."

Jack had bathed and he sat on his bed. He had discovered the black and white television set, but had dismissed it very quickly as he had been too anxious about Mirage's return to focus on anything else. Finally, he heard a knock on his door."Here," Mirage said. Jack saw her extended arm as she handed him a shopping bag filled with clothes through the partially opened door. "There wasn't much choice, but these should fit you well. I'll come and get you when I'm ready." Carrying more bags, Mirage locked herself in her room.

Jack had put on what Mirage had found for him, and he waited for her now. After what seemed an eternity, Jack heard Mirage's door open. He peaked out in the corridor. He was surprised when he saw her.

Mirage had totally transformed: She stood in the doorway of her room smiling back at Jack, obviously satisfied, but also a little bit shy about the choices she had made. She wore a simple loose cotton skirt –all that she could find in the only store in the village- that had large flowers printed on it, with a plain red and white striped, short sleeved T-shirt. Her feet had flat and comfortable looking summer sandals. She had pulled her hair back with a large white head band. She held a small blue purse.

Jack was speechless for a second and it had not escaped Mirage's attention. She looked at him and she felt very proud of the way the clothes she had bought for Jack fit him: He wore a plain, fitted black T-shirt with jeans and black shoes.

"You're very beautiful, Mirage," Jack said, quietly.

Mirage blushed a little as he said that. "Thank you. And you, look very dashing, Lieutenant," she said, regaining her composure. They stared at each other for a moment, not saying anything else.

Mirage broke the silence. "May I take you out to dinner?" she asked him, rather hesitantly. "There is a small restaurant down a few streets which seems to have a fine menu. The evening is setting in, it would be most charming. I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

Jack seemed touched by her offer. "I would be delighted," he said.

The restaurant had a small patio, covered by an awning. They sat on the edge. As night had fallen, tiny lanterns had been lit on each table, all of different colours. The terrace glowed faintly in shades of purples, yellows and blues. Jack could see the reflection of the small lights in Mirage's eyes. They spoke quietly, close to one another, a glass of wine in the hand, their elbows resting on the table, as they had decided is had been an appropriate time for them to relax.

Food and drink had been served a plenty and they were both satisfied now. Mirage realized she had not had wine in a while for it seemed to have gone to her head. Jack also had let on that he felt its effects, and like Mirage, did not look displeased. As they spoke, Mirage suddenly laughed out louder that she had expected and it startled her. She then realized it had been the first time she had laughed out loud since her adventure began.

Faint music, which had started earlier, now attracted their attention. Mirage had an idea. She quickly settled the bill. Grabbing Jack's hand, Mirage suddenly pulled him along, walking towards the direction of the sounds they heard.

They had walked a few blocks down a small, gravel covered street that ended on an open plaza. Chinese lanterns were lit, hanging from the trees that bordered the court. In a corner, a man played worn out vinyl records on an old turntable, plugged into small speakers that strained and distorted the sounds as they had not been designed to play so loud.

"_Bal musette_," Mirage said to Jack, explaining to him that sometimes locals would organize small, easy going dances.

There were only a few couples out dancing. Some where young, some were old, but all enjoyed the music set to the beautiful scenery of a perfect summer's evening. Jack and Mirage had been standing on the edge of the dance floor, watching the dancers for a few songs now. When the DJ put on an old, scratched, early Beatles tune, Mirage could not help herself anymore: She stepped on to the middle of the dance floor and started to sway and spin with the music. Jack had remained outside. He looked at her, amazed and hypnotized at how she could move so graciously. She came back towards him as she danced.

Mirage held out her hand to him. "Come on _daddy'o_," she said, laughing at Jack's obvious embarrassment. "Come dance with me!" The Lieutenant hesitated for a moment. "Come on," she said, grabbing his hand. She looked at him.

"Just let go, Jack…let go," she said.

They danced. Jack could not help himself in being mesmerized from the sheer grace of Mirage's moves.

The music changed once more. The DJ had put on a slow paced tune. Silently, couples formed. Each partner danced close to the other, leaning on each other almost, resting. Jack stood there for a second, not quite knowing what to do. Mirage reached over and put her hands across Jack's neck. He rested his hands around her waist. They stared into each others eyes as they moved in tune with the slow, sensual music.

"Like I said, Mirage, we needed to blend in with the natives," Jack said. "We're doing a pretty good job." They kept looking at each other.

"Who are we Jack?" Mirage suddenly asked him, in a rhetorical way.

"We are Supers," he answered. "We are on a mission."

"On a mission to save the world, Lieutenant," she added softly. "Can we still afford to be ourselves, Lieutenant?"

"I think we can," Jack said.

"Don't look now," he added, as he eyed another couple dancing close to them. "But I think those two are out to save the world also…" Mirage turned her head to look at the dancers Jack had referred to: They seemed completely lost in each other, totally oblivious to the world around them. The fact that they had their eyes closed and their tongue exploring each other's mouth made them even more interesting.

Mirage quickly turned her head and smiled. "I agree," she said, "I'm sure you're right. They must be on a mission."

"They look determined," Jack added.

Jack and Mirage said nothing else for a moment. It seemed they were both were hesitating. Mirage finally whispered to him.

"We are professionals, Lieutenant…" She wrapped her hands closer together, hanging more on his neck. "We are Supers… On a mission to save the world... That much is true." She turned her head away. "We should never let our emotions cloud our judgment. We should never forget this."

A few clouds had gathered above the small park where they danced. Without warning, rain started to fall. The dancers quickly scattered, hiding where they could, under nearby trees or awnings. Jack and Mirage were soaked as they ran back to the hotel. As they stepped into the elevator, their clothes were dripping.

They silently stood face to face in the cramped cabin that creaked as it slowly went up. Jack gently removed a strand of wet hair from Mirage's face. He let his fingers linger on her cheek.

Jack pressed his lips against Mirage's, kissing her for a moment. She seemed surprised for a second, taken aback by the Lieutenant's audacity. She smiled.

Mirage put her hands around Jack's neck and kissed him.

Mirage leaned against the cabin's wall and pulled Jack towards her. They had let their guard completely down. They kissed each other more and more passionately, voraciously, mouths open now, as each kiss urged them to go on further. Mirage shivered and moaned as Jack devoured her, his lips kissing her neck, his hands on her body.

The old lady on the last floor had become impatient with the years. It irritated her that the elevator took too much time to reach her floor when it had people in it. She had a shocked expression on her face when the elevator doors opened and she saw a young couple pouring out of it, furiously embracing each other in a most indecent manner.

"Well," she said, obviously flustered as she got on.

Jack and Mirage had reached their rooms now. As Jack pressed Mirage against her door, she suddenly unlocked her lips from him. She opened her door, stepped in, slamming it behind her to leave Jack somewhat dumbfounded in the corridor. Inside, Mirage leaned against the closed door, with a stunned expression on her face. "What are you doing?" She muttered to herself. "Stupid, stupid girl…" She opened the door again to face him.

"Jack," she said. "This is not right. What about," she hesitated. "What about Stupendous Girl?"

Jack was taken aback. "Stu… Stupendous Girl?..." He now understood Mirage's hesitation. "Mirage," he said, "Stupendous Girl is my _sister…_ She can very overprotective of her older brother from time to time… I'll have to tell her."

"Oh," Mirage said, rather relieved. Not waiting another moment, she grabbed him by the collar and pulled him inside the room, closing the door behind them.

Only a few stars remained in the early morning sky by now. Faint light entered the room as dawn neared. Mirage lay awake in the darkness, her head resting upon Jack's naked shoulder. Her gaze drifted across the room. Their clothes were strewn everywhere. They had made love all night and they were now drained. Mirage and Jack lay side by side, their bodies and the sheets soaked in each other's sweat.

Mirage had not noticed that Jack had been awake for a few moments now. When she noticed, he reached out to her, gently playing with her hair. He understood her concern. She broke the silence.

"We'll have to go to the house later this morning," she said. "We might…" She hesitated. "Meet someone."

"We'll have to be as discreet as possible, that's all we can do." Jack said. "Once we have gathered the data we have been looking for, we'll return to the base."

"And then?" Mirage asked him.

"And then we'll move on to the next phase of the mission," he said. He turned to look her in the eyes. "There will be enough energy left in the time sphere to…" He sighed. "Send you back to your era, Mirage."

Mirage kissed him tenderly. "Jack," she said quietly. "What would happen if I did not want to return to my own era?"

They had left the hotel after breakfast, walking onward on the small gravel road that led out of the other side of the village, towards a dense forest. Mirage became quieter as they moved on. She could not help looking everywhere around her, astounded. It was as though Mirage had returned from a very long trip and found nothing had changed at all.

Mirage stopped as they had reached a curve in the road ahead. "We're here," she said. To their left, a tall, moss covered brick wall stood. It had a heavy wooden door with rusted wrought iron hinges. Mirage walked up to it. "This door will take us through the garden, to the back of the house. It's not locked." Jack could sense Mirage's nervousness as she said that.

"Wouldn't it be better to present ourselves at the front gate? We could pretend our car had broken down and needed to make a phone call. It might be less hazardous than to walk in unannounced," Jack said.

"I'd rather not," Mirage said. "I would rather avoid everyone if I could." She looked at him. "Look, it will be better this way:" She opened the door and stepped cautiously inside. Jack followed her, closing the door. They were standing in a forest of tall trees. "Stay here, I know this house by heart. I'll go directly to the study, and come back as soon as I can."

Mirage walked silently through the trees. The property had vast amounts of land. The forest around her seemed to go on forever. Mirage tried to make as little noise as she could. Sometimes, she would stop moving, as a branch, cracking under her foot, startled her.

She came upon a clearing. Mirage realized her knees were slightly weak as she saw the house before her. It looked as magnificent as she remembered it: The house stood three stories tall, the walls made of large hand carved brownstone. The argyle tiled roof had copper linings which had tarnished with time. Beautiful vines had grown on the walls, climbing to the very top.

There was no one in the garden. Mirage walked closer to the house. She peaked through one of the small lead lined windows. Inside, the kitchen she could see had just been used for an early lunch as two crumb filled plates remained on a large wooden table. Mirage realized she was trembling now. She focused her attention on the center of the kitchen and in a silent flash, she transmutated to reappear inside.

She stepped into the main corridor that opened on the lobby. Mirage's memory had been jolted since they had arrived on the premises. She had not forgotten the fresh scent of the polished oak floor. As she walked, all she could hear was the tic-tac of the large grandfather clock that stood beside the base of the grand wooden staircase that led to the upper floors. Mirage stared at it for a moment. She then took the handrail and quietly started climbing.

Mirage paused as she had reached the second floor. A smaller, much steeper staircase disappeared through an opening in the ceiling, leading to the third floor where she knew her father's study was.

Mirage was about to start climbing again when she turned around. She could see a door open a few metres away: The door to her bedroom. She hesitated for a second. But she could not help herself anymore. Quietly, avoiding making the floor crack, she walked over to the open door.

Mirage felt numb as she walked in her childhood bedroom. It felt so strange for her to be there and yet at the same time, so familiar. She had never seen it this perspective before: The furniture which, as she was a child, looked large and tall, now looked much smaller and fragile as Mirage had grown into a tall adult.

She could hardly believe her eyes: On her bed, her favourite plush toy rabbit that had a broken ear. Against the wall, a wooden shelf, filled with books of science, geography, art, all with colourful images and graphics. A small desk, with stationary, where Mirage did her homework. A vanity, with an antique mirror had a silver hairbrush placed in the corner. Walking over to the bed, Mirage stared at the plush toy. She gently took it and briefly hugged the stuffed rabbit before putting it back carefully on the bed as it was. She wiped away a tear.

Turning around, she took a deep breath, walked out of the room and climbed the last flight of stairs.

The third floor had been entirely dedicated to her father's study. The attic-like single room had been left in disarray: Research papers had been strewn here and there and cobwebs were spread across the wooden beams of the ceiling. Her father had disappeared already, she knew that. Her mother and she never had come up here since.

Mirage slowly scanned the room. She tried to remember. She looked for the clues that she and Jack had risked their lives for. But something was wrong: The more she looked around, the more she could see that there was nothing here to be found. Not a single item there seemed to have any remote relation to what they had been searching for. Her pulse raced as she started sweating. She started overturning books and papers, more and more frantically now. Mirage felt getting close to panicking.

_There is nothing, _she said to herself._ There is nothing here_. _There is nowhere else to look, I'm sure. I can't believe it. There is nothing here._

She put the last book she had gone through back on the table. Mirage could not bear staying here anymore. She looked at the garden below through a small window. In a silent flash of light, she vanished.

Mirage reappeared near the edge of the house. She looked up at the house one more time, an empty, nauseating feeling in the pit of her stomach. She and Jack would have to return to their home base and find another way to get the code. If there ever was one.

As Mirage was about to step forward, she froze in her tracks. She stood there in complete shock, paralysed, unable to move. She had come face to face with a young girl.

The girl who quietly stared at Mirage might have been seven or eight years old. She was already tall for her age. She had long, white hair and beautiful emerald green eyes. Mirage could hardly breathe.

"Hi," the little girl said. "My name is Mirage. What's yours?"


	9. Full Circle

**CHAPTER NINE: FULL CIRCLE**

**_The little_** girl stepped closer to Mirage. The young child seemed fascinated by the tall stranger who had appeared in her garden. Mirage was not as pleasantly surprised to meet someone as the girl appeared to be though: Mirage's face was livid. She took a step back as she could not believe that she had stumbled upon one of the very few people she had dreaded meeting upon embarking on her mission. She said nothing.

The young girl tilted her head sideways as she studied Mirage's face. She took a long strand of her hair and held it up, not saying a word. She smiled at Mirage.

"We could play together if you want," she said in a calm voice. Mirage was shocked to hear herself speak. It felt awkward and strange, like someone listening for the first time to their recorded voice, and surprised at how different they sounded from what they had been accustomed to. "But we have to make sure we don't disturb my mommy," she added. "She's over there, she's resting. She's very tired."

The little girl whispered. "You see, she's very sick." She turned her head to the garden. "Don't tell... Mommy doesn't know that I know."

Mirage felt her knees weaken as she heard that. For a moment, the situation felt too much for Mirage to bear. She was preparing herself to walk away in the opposite direction that the young girl had pointed to, but she hesitated and she did not. Mirage could not help herself. Ignoring the risks, she took a step forward, stared at the young girl for a moment and walked towards the side of the house.

The other part of the garden had a small stone patio surrounded by flowerbeds. It had in its centre a wrought iron table with three chairs. Someone sat there, sipping a cup of tea, looking absentmindedly at the surrounding nature. The woman sitting at the table had long and beautiful white hair that today, had been tied in a ponytail. She sat quietly, absorbed in her thoughts. Mirage, standing near the edge of the house, observed her from the distance, unable to approach her.

Sensing a presence, Mirage's mother turned her head towards the stranger who had walked in her garden. Mirage stood expressionless as her mother's eyes set upon hers. Mirage controlled her emotions well, but inside, she trembled. She was stunned by how much she could see herself in her mother's face: The same almond shaped eyes and aquiline nose. The same sensual mouth and natural grace. They stared at each other now.

Mirage's mother gently put her tea cup on the table. She got up slowly, her body trembling slightly as she looked weak. She studied Mirage, her eyes squinting slightly.

"Can I help you?" she said, in a quiet, calm voice.

Mirage could not speak for a second. She then finally found the courage to do so. "I'm very sorry to be intruding on your privacy, but... my…" She hesitated. "My husband and I had a mechanical breakdown down the road. It would be most kind of you if you could let me use your phone to call for a tow truck."

"Of course, please." Mirage's mother said. "There is a phone on the first floor… It's down the hall, through that door." She gracefully lifted her hand to show Mirage the way.

"Thank you," Mirage said. But she still could not move, as she could not help staring at her mother. It seemed Mirage could feel the condition her mother was in. Mirage ached: It was as if she could see through the paleness of her mother's complexion the disease and the ravages it had done to her. The cancer had spread irreversibly by this time, Mirage knew that. And she bitterly remembered that as a child, she had not yet acquired healing powers strong enough to save her. Mirage had tried and failed countless times to heal her, never to give up, only to do so on the day of her mother's death.

But now, Mirage was not a child anymore. She had become an adult, and her powers had grown... Time, normally cruel and unyielding to anyone or anything, had given her a magnanimous, unexpected reprieve.

Mirage slowly walked towards her mother.

"Would you… Care for a cup of tea?" her mother asked her, hesitantly. "I can sense that would like to sit down." She smiled. "I don't know why," she added, "but I get the impression we might know each other."

Mirage felt her heart sink as she had the obligation to lie. "No," she said, barely able to contain her grief. "No. I don't think we've ever met before." She looked at the table again. "But, yes, a cup of tea would be nice." And Mirage Moresso sat down to chat with her mother, for the first time in many years.

Mirage had achieved the impossible: She had returned home.

Jack had been waiting near the wall in the back of the forest for quite a while now. He had become tense as time went by, wondering if Mirage had run into trouble, perhaps being in need of his assistance. He could not wait anymore. He trotted off in the direction he had seen Mirage heading to.

Mirage sat comfortably on the wrought iron chair, sipping her cup of tea. She did not dare tell her mother that as a child, she had found the garden chairs to be quite hard to sit on. It did not matter to her now. These small details of her childhood were now eclipsed by the very strange reality that now surrounded her:

She and her mother chatted of the weather, of travels, of house things and other small nothings. When Mirage looked into her mother's eyes, it felt to Mirage as if her mother could have known, through some mysterious Super power perhaps, that she was having a conversation with her grown up daughter.

When Jack had arrived in the garden, he was stunned to see Mirage sitting with someone who, although being older than Mirage, looked almost exactly like her. Jack immediately knew Mirage had been testing the limits of the laws of time travel, where too much interference with elements from the past could create an unimaginable catastrophe. He stared at both women. Mirage gave him a glance, her worried eyes lingering on his.

He suddenly realized what Mirage was about to do. It was too dangerous. He had to step in.

"There you are," Jack said, feigning surprise. "I've been looking all over for you." Both women smiled when he walked over.

"I'm so sorry," Mirage said, "I had left my husband at the gate to wait." Jack looked at Mirage sideways for a moment and played along. Jack did not speak French, but he had instinctively understood what she meant. "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself," she added. "My name is Chloe."

"I'm delighted to meet you, Chloe and Jack," Mirage's mother said, changing to perfect English as she had heard Jack. "I am Juliana Moresso. And here," she said, presenting the young child that had joined them, "is my daughter, Mirage." Jack gave a quick glance at Mirage. They were dangerously close in creating a space time continuum disruption. He sat down besides them.

"Did you phone the garage, my dear?" Jack asked Mirage, as casually as he could.

"No, I haven't yet," she answered.

Jack had been eager to cut the conversation short. "Oh, good," he said. "Someone drove by and offered to stop at the village garage and tell them we needed some assistance. We should go back to the car, they'll be here shortly." Jack got up and smiled at Mirage's mother. "Madam Moresso," he said, "thank you very much for your hospitality. But we cannot stay any longer, we have to drive on."

He had noticed Mirage's reluctance to get up. She had gently placed her right hand on the edge of the table, not far from her mother's wrist. She knew she only had to reach out, extend her fingers and touch her for a second. There would be no other opportunity.

Jack saw Mirage move her hand forward. Quickly, but gently, he put his hand on hers, stopping her gesture. He looked her in the eyes and smiled faintly. "Yes dear, I believe it's time to get going."

Jack's gaze lingered into Mirage's eyes for another moment. He stared deep into them. He squeezed her hand and in a barely perceptible manner, he shook his head once.

Mirage understood. She lowered her eyes for a brief moment, smiled faintly, sighed and got up. Mirage's mother stood up also, quietly studying the couple before her. For a fleeting uncertain moment once more, Mirage felt sure that her mother had discovered who she was.

Jack and Mirage had walked out of the front gate now. Mirage had waved goodbye. She lingered for a moment on the outside of the gates, looking at her mother until she had walked back to the house. Mirage desperately wanted to freeze the instant when her mother disappeared from her view, as she hoped it would somehow ease the pain, but she could not.

Mirage walked slowly, almost dragging herself, her eyes focused on the stone wall of the property. Jack walked alone, a few metres ahead. Mirage suddenly heard a small voice calling her.

The young Mirage had run after them. She had stopped to stand in the middle of the road. Upon seeing her, Mirage turned back, and walked towards her. She kneeled in front of the young girl. They stared at each other for a second.

The little girl leaned towards Mirage's ear and whispered to her. "I know who you are," she said. "It's okay," she added, "I won't tell…

Mirage was stunned by that comment. In disbelief, she blinked. And when she opened her eyes, the little girl had disappeared.

Jack had walked back to Mirage. He took her in his arms to hug her. "I'm sorry," he said, as Mirage now sobbed in his arms. "I'm sorry, Mirage..." He shook his head. "There are too many things we still can't do: We can never bring back the dead." He looked at her. "We can never really go back home." He took her by the hand. "We have to move on now."

They had walked back towards the field, back to the time sphere. They did not say much, apart from Mirage mentioning she had found nothing and that the mission had been a failure.

And they were off again, the sphere hurtling through space and time, to return to an uncertain future.

The sphere reappeared in the middle of a sand covered clearing, amongst the familiar field of debris of the abandoned oil refinery the world's remaining Supers called home. The desert air was cold, as night had now fallen. No one came to greet them.

Jack and Mirage immediately knew something had gone wrong while they had set upon their journey: The compound's grounds were now riddled with craters that had been made by powerful explosions. They were recent, as some of them were still smouldering.

The city had been attacked.

**TO BE CONTINUED IN THE NEXT CHAPTER: THE DRUMS OF WAR**


	10. Author's notes

**Mirage: Countdown to Eternity – Author's notes**

**2006-09-12**

Hi, everyone. Once again, time for a new chapter of the story. This one is shorter, for the reason that this chapter should had been included in the previous one. But for reasons that still elude me, I've decided to make it stand on its own. Perhaps I felt the heart wrenching moment Mirage experienced needed its own part.

I did not realize, as I started writing Countdown, that the story could be seen as basically having three parts. We have ended part two now. Jack and Mirage have returned to the future from an apparently failed mission, and the journey has changed their lives. We are now going to embark on the final part, where everything will fall into place as decisive battles will be fought.

**Review dept**: Moira2, a couple of chapters earlier, suggested I allow anonymous reviews. So, here we are!

**Rubyvulpix**! Merci! Content de te revoir. Ton enthousiasme sera toujours apprécié.

Newcomer **Biffe**: Yes, Mirage is sexy. Oh yes. Thank you. ;-)

Soundtrack dept: Haven't done this in a while:

Beatles: _Julia_, _Dear Prudence_ (White album)

Rammstein: _Wo bist du_. (Rosenrot)

Related to chapter one: U2, _Vertigo_ (How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb) , also from that album for this chapter, _Sometimes you just can't make it on your own_.

See you next chapter.

**2006-08-12**

Ola everyone, Le Capitaine here. Sorry about the delay. I've been to Florida for my vacation, way down to Key West. Unbelievable! On the way back, (I drove there, 6350 K!) We went to visit Kennedy Space Center, and of course, as there is a first time for everything, Walt Disney World. Brought back some cookies. I'm thrilled to say that some parts of this chapter, were written while sitting on a sun deck on my portable computer, overlooking the majestic Atlantic Ocean! 

Back to the story. May I suggest, Dear Reader, that if you haven't read the last chapter yet (Some people start by the end of things) that you go and read it now, for my comments below contain material which should bear the ubiquitous title: SPOILER ALERT!

Once again, every chapter I've written so far seems to have a very different vibe. They have a life of their own in a way, but it is never what I've imagined at the beginning: They always end up, apart from the main ideas I want to convey, totally different. For instance, the love scene between Jack and Mirage had many variations before I settled on what you've read. In an alternate version, I had them under a tree, as the storm blew by. The earliest incarnation of that scene actually gave me the idea for the story you're reading now: Jack and Mirage are supers out to save the world. In that part of the story, they are in a plane that is stranded in a deep jungle. Mirage is sitting in the pilot's seat when Jack goes to sit with her. He kisses her. The story evolved and I finally settled for the elevator as it had my preference. It's a scene I actually blatantly stole from one my favourite movies: The Big Blue (Le Grand Bleu) from Luc Besson. It's about a guy obsessed with diving and dolphins. When you see the main characters kiss in that cramped elevator, it's just a great scene.

Hum, no reviews this month... Ah well. I wonder… Should I hold new chapters hostage in exchange for articulate, constructive words of support? Hum, should I?… See you next chapter.  Maybe?

**2006-06-30**

Phew! So many things happened in chapter 7 in such a sort time! Hardest thing again was to choose what to include and what to omit... There is an interesting thing that I was supposed to include in this chapter, but I felt it would slow down the pace too much so I left it out. And that gave me the idea to potentially include, after the story is completed, special_ deleted scenes_ chapters, just to spice things up. They do it on DVD's so, why not? I already have some ideas for Escape from Nomanisan.

And now, on to the next chapter! This is it! I think the astute reader will know where this is going to go next… Yeah, I can't wait to write that one! 

Once again, special thanks to **Moira2** for her support. Yes, Moira2. You will get the answers you seek.

I'm almost on vacation. I'm going to drive to Florida, until I reach the Keys. This is completely insane, I know, but hey, I'm the Capitaine! See U all next chapter. 

**2006-05-24**

Hey everyone, CC here. Just writing some reflections after having posted my latest chapter. I'm pleased to say that chapter five has been the one which had the most hits since I started posting stuff on Fan Fiction. I hope to think my readers are enjoying this as much as I am writing it. (and drawing)

It's funny how different the final version of each chapter is, in comparison with its original outline. In this latest chapter (six if you have just picked this up) my initial intent was to make the chapter go beyond where it stops now. (not telling you where it would have gone as this is now the subject of the next chapter). As I started writing the part where they arrive at the spaceport, I realized I had to stretch it out. I wanted the reader to be reminded that Jack and Mirage are in a very dangerous and oppressive world, and that basically, they only have each other to rely on... And that brings me to think about what comes next. I'm getting ready to start writing the next chapter, and, as I dreaded the previous one, I can say that the next two chapters (7 & 8) will probably be my personal favourites. A lot of stuff is going to happen, and I can't wait to put it in words.

So there it is, chapter six, Exile. Enjoy.

HEY! Almost forgot! (How could I) Very special thanks to **Moira2 **for her ongoing presence in the review universe. I read your comment about Jack, and I agree. Mirage is cuter. ;-) I apologize, as I find Jack is still looking too Neanderthal for my tastes. But I'm working on that. (To use a Pixar term: Jack is undergoing a major hunkification process) you'll see the change in my next drawing.

See U in the next chapter. Enjoy.

**2006-04-23**

Sorry about the delay. It's tax time in Quebec, and believe me, it is a major pain.

First things first, special thanks to** Moira2** for her ongoing support.

So there it is, chapter five: The Briefing. I find the title very appropriate since basically, the whole chapter is just an explanation on what's going on. There is more talk and less action, but I find it's a welcome break, as things will pick up again.

This chapter has been the hardest one to write yet. As I was planning the story, gosh, last summer! I knew that this one would be the most difficult. I think I even was unconsciously dreading it. This is were some of the logistics of the story come to be known. I had to be very careful into only giving away what was necessary, and finding the most efficient way to tell it. The hard thing was to describe the surroundings of the characters but with just enough information as to give a sense of where they were and how they felt, but also not to slow the story down too much. I wanted to stay focused on the story and not lose myself in minor technicalities.

This is the longest chapter I've ever written, and it also happens to have the largest amount of different characters yet. I had major problems finding names for the Supers: Stupendous Girl, the only one I have named yet, already exists according to _GoogleLand_. But I finally have found a way on how to approach the naming problem. I'll use it in later chapters.

Edna also gave me a struggle. I hesitated in the way I wanted her to speak. In the movie, she is very humorous, but since my story is more about drama than comedy, I had to find a way to tone her down.

My drawings are improving. They really add to the story. Working already on the next one.

Enjoy, and see you next chapter.

**2006-03-12**

Whoa, I'm back with chapter four, Resistance. It was really cool to write. I've been waiting for a while to make the Lieutenant come into the picture... I had some scenes floating in my mind since last summer... It was quite a thrill to see them in their final form.

Hey I've got reviews again! Totally enjoyable... It's late when I'm writing this again and I'm all over the place... Yes, spring is in the air... Saw a new trailer for Cars... Will certainly go see.

So, **Moira2** and newcomer **Greenikat89**, thanks for the support. (Thank you for reviewing my first story, Greenikat89, Hope you're liking the second one. I had forgotten about the leeches...)

Moira2: Soundtrack. Yes, I've got something, but you made me think I don't have an official Mirage theme.

(Apart from the music of the movie). So feel free to suggest... Something classical maybe? I've been writing this story mostly listening to Rammstein's heavy Teutonic sound. Their latest, Rosenrot, is really good, up to par with their previous one.

So, there is chapter four.  Enjoy! Oh yeah, don't forget the drawings!

**2006-02-06**

Hi everyone, le Capitaine here. I'm back. Chapter three is up, The Offer. And as promised, Mirage is going to be in for a ride. It's been a while, sorry about that, but I struggled with the way I wanted my villain to say certain things… Hope I made him sinister enough.

And now, to quote a famous quote, the Mother of all quotes: "Hey, where did all my reviewers go?"

I'll have some fresh illustrations coming up soon on_CapitaineCartoon dot deviantart dot com_  Enjoy!

**2005-12-23**

Merry Christmas everyone! Joyeux Noël!

Chapter two is up now. I'm promising you; the ride is really going to start. I'm having a ball writing this and I hope you'll have fun reading it too. The holidays are here and that means I can get down with serious business!

I've got more and more drawings up on my web page – CapitaineCartoon dot deviantart dot com –

(the only way to write a web address on this site ) go check them out.

Thank you to my reviewers, Moira2 and Syndromesgirlxoxo, your comments will always be appreciated.

A very Merry Christmas to you all!

See you soon in the next year for the latest chapter.

I'm coming back soon with better comments, I'm tired right now. I'll beef up this page as soon as I can.

Salut tout le monde.

**2005-11-29 **

Hi everyone! CapitaineCartoon here… It's good to be back in Fan Fiction land again! I've been pretty busy all summer, working on the plot line of my new story when I had spare time (not much).

I'm happy to say, I think I'm on to something here. It wasn't easy, but it was worth it.

I've been drawing a lot also, and there is a lot of growth in that area too. I've posted a few examples on **Deviantart dot com** ;-)

For the address of the web site, go see my author's profile.

Yes, the new story is a lot harder to write as it is much bigger in scope than my first effort. There are a lot of characters, places and events involved and making it all fit together was sometimes daunting as I realized that if I was not careful, I could end up with a story the size of_ War and Peace_!

So, I trimmed stuff here and there and kept what I considered the essential. Hopefully, I've made the right choice and I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.

So, I present to you my new story, **Mirage: Countdown to Eternity**, the sequel to Escape from Nomanisan, starring the mysterious and beautiful Mirage, my favourite character of one of my favourite movies, The Incredibles.

Before I say "see you at the next chapter," I would like to thank the following new reviewers, who posted comments after I finished updating my first story: (Oh, I'm not forgetting my "regular" reviewers, zillion thanks to them too! I haven't had many reviews, but it's the quality, not the quantity that counts, and I've been spoiled there!)

**Moira2**: Thank you for your wonderful and heart warming review. it's been a while since you posted your review and chances are some things might have changed now for you.

So, I hope all is well and I would like to wish you the very, very best.

**Rubyvulpix**: Merci pour ta critique! C'est une très bonne idée… J'y avais pensé à quelques reprises, mais j'ai reculé compte tenu du temps à mettre dessus… C'était une histoire qui a été assez longue à écrire, et la traduire risque de me prendre autant de temps. Et ce temps, c'est un luxe que j'ai beaucoup de difficulté à m'offrir en ce moment. Mais, je n'écarte pas l'idée.

Je suis d'abord et avant tout engagé dans ma deuxième histoire. Il y a certains chapitres que j'ai hâte de commencer à écrire!

Quand j'aurais terminé le cycle Mirage, je prendrai peut-être le temps de les traduire.

J'ai déjà le titre du premier volet: _Mirage: L'Évadée de Nomanisan_.

**Parting words:**

So everyone, once again, welcome to my story and see you when the next chapter comes up. Thank you for being here.


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